Characterization of myeloid leukemias with monoclonal antibodies 3C5 and MY9.

The expression of two membrane antigens identified by the monoclonal antibodies (McAb) My9 and 3C5 has been investigated in cells from 80 acute leukemias. My9 was positive in the blasts of 33 out of the 38 (87 per cent) cases of acute myeloid leukemia (AML) tested, regardless of FAB subtype, and in 13 of 18 (72 per cent) cases of chronic granulocytic leukemia (CGL) in myeloid blast crisis. The reactivity of 3C5 was confined to myeloblastic (M1) AML, 85 per cent of cases, and to lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) of B-lineage, 70 per cent of cases, including CGL in lymphoid transformation. My9 was negative in ALL except for an unusual case. The phenotype My9+, 3C5+ was seen exclusively in M1 (69 per cent) and M2 (14 per cent) AML. Ultrastructural analysis with the immunogold method in combination with the myeloperoxidase (MPO) reaction showed that expression of My9 increased in parallel with MPO activity whereas 3C5 was expressed mainly in myeloblasts with little MPO content. We conclude that the use of these two McAb will contribute to the diagnosis and classification of AML and may throw some light to the pathogenesis of biphenotypic acute leukemias, including TdT + AML.