Expression of cytokine receptors on different myeloid leukemic cells.

We have studied the expression of cytokine receptors CD25 (IL-2Ra,55kD), CD116 (hGM-CSRF,145kD), CD117 (CSFR,145kD), CD120a (TNFR,55kD), CD120b (TNFR,75kD), CD121a (IL-1R, type I, 80kD), CD123 (IL-3R), CD124 (IL-4R, 140kD), CD126 (IL-6R, 80kD), CDw127 (IL-7R, 75kD), CDw128 (IL-8R), CD130 (gp130 subunit), CD131 (common beta), CD134 (OX40) and also CD95 (Fas antigen) on the myeloid leukemic cells. Cells from peripheral blood or bone marrow of 30 patients with disorders in myeloid lineage included mostly acute myeloid leukemias (with high leukocyte count and percentage of blasts) were analyzed for the expression of surface membrane molecules by indirect immunofluorescence method evaluated by flow cytometry. The findings indicate that some monoclonal antibodies have a reactivity against cytokine receptors of pathological cells in individual cases, but with very variable qualitative and quantitative (number copies/cell) expression (preliminary results). The leukemic cells demonstrate unique cytokine receptor profiles, which reveal the great diversity of immunophenotypes within the main functional characterization of blood malignancies. The immunophenotype heterogeneity of leukemic cells has proved to be much greater than to match with existing classification criteria. This fact could raise the necessity of further evaluation and specification of cytokine markers of the myeloid acute leukemias. On the other hand, detection of cytokine receptors on the leukemia cells is important for cytokine therapy.