Subpopulation heterogeneity in human acute myeloid leukemia determined by monoclonal antibodies.

The leukemic population in 63 patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) was studied with 15 monoclonal antibodies that detect lineage-related and stage-related antigens on normal hemopoietic cells. Indirect immunofluorescence and fluorescence-activated cell sorting showed that subpopulations of leukemic cells reacted with some or all antibodies, but the percentage of cells reacting with a single antibody varied widely among patients. The composite antigenic phenotype of the various cases, as determined by immunofluorescence assay, did not correlate with the French-American-British morphological classification. Furthermore, some cells in each case failed to express any antigen normally expressed on myelomonocytic precursors from the level of the early CFU-GM to the mature granulocyte or monocyte. In double-fluorescence experiments, the individual cells expressed none, one, or both antigens. These results demonstrate that there is considerable subpopulation heterogeneity in AML. This heterogeneity may considerably limit or complicate the use of monoclonal antibodies for diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment of acute nonlymphocytic leukemia (ANLL).