Determination of a shared epitope on cells from acute myelogenic leukemia [AML] and T-acute lymphoblastic leukemia [T-ALL]

ABSTRACT

Two IgM monoclonal antibodies [MAb] with strong reactivity for granulocytes and to a lesser extent for Jurkat cell lines were established by immunizing BALB/ c mice with a histiocytic cell line [U937]. These two MAbs [designated as 6C9 and 4C4] reacted with blast cells of T-acute lymphoblastic leukemia [T-ALL] and acute myelogenous leukemia [AML] patients as well as leukemic cells from patients known as unclassified leukemia [UL]. According to their pattern of reactivity, it is most probable that these two IgM MAbs react with some highly glycosylated membrane determinants such as 3-fucosyl-N-acetyllactosamine [3-FAL] which are exclusively expressed on some subsets of granulocytes and AML cells