Effect of stimulation by interferon gamma and tumor necrosis factor alpha on CD54 expression and homotypic aggregation of blasts of acute lymphoblastic leukemias

• Published in: Annals of hematology 1998-01, Vol.76 (1), p.7-14
• Main Authors: Krauter, J, Ganser, A, Heil, G
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adolescent; Adult; Aged; Cell Aggregation - drug effects; Female; Humans; Immunophenotyping; Intercellular Adhesion Molecule-1 - metabolism; Interferon-gamma - pharmacology; Lymphocytes - drug effects; Lymphocytes - metabolism; Male; Middle Aged; Precursor Cell Lymphoblastic Leukemia-Lymphoma - metabolism; Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha - pharmacology
• ISSN: 0939-5555; 1432-0584
• DOI: 10.1007/s002770050353

CD54 (intercellular adhesion molecule-1, ICAM-1) surface expression on the blasts in ten cases of acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) and its up-regulation by human recombinant interferon-gamma (IFNgamma) and/or tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNFalpha) were studied in a serum-free culture system. In addition, the function of CD54 was assessed by a cellular aggregation assay. Prior to in vitro culture, only 3/10 ALL cases had more than 20% CD54-positive blasts. A 24-h incubation in serum-free medium alone induced CD54 positivity in another two cases. In these two ALLs, stimulation with IFNgamma and/or TNFalpha further enhanced CD54 positivity. In addition, TNFalpha induced CD54 expression in one further case. In the remaining four cases no CD54 expression was induced by either cytokine. Of the six cases with constitutive or inducible CD54 expression, only five displayed CD54-dependent cellular aggregation. Taken together, the ALLs studied were heterogeneous with respect to their constitutive and cytokine-driven CD54 expression, while TNFalpha seemed to be more effective than IFNgamma. In most cases, the CD54 molecule was functionally active, in that CD54 expression was paralleled by CD54-dependent homotypic aggregation of the blasts.