Presence of the Philadelphia chromosome (Ph1) in pokeweed mitogen stimulated lymphocytes during chronic phase of chronic myelocytic leukemia (CML).

There has been a lack of direct cytogenetic studies on lymphocytes in the chronic phase of chronic myelocytic leukemia (CML). Peripheral blood mononuclear cells from seven patients in the chronic phase and on in the blastic phase of Ph1-positive CML were cultured in the presence of phytohemagglutinin (PHA) and pokeweed mitogen (PWM). Preparations adequate for analysis were obtained from eight PHA and five PWM stimulated cultures. Cytogenetic studies on the PWM stimulated cultured cells revealed, in one patient, the presence of the Philadelphia chromosome (Ph1) in 23/25 metaphases. The PHA stimulated lymphocytes from the same patient were all Ph1 negative. Lymphocytes from PHA and PWM stimulated cultures from the other six patients in the chronic phase and the one patient in blastic crisis were all Ph1 negative. The one positive result suggests that some B lymphocytes contain the Ph1 and that there is a common hematopoietic stem cell for B lymphocytes as well as the myeloid, erythroid, and megakaryocytic series.