ALBERT

Description: Fas antigen (Fas Ag; CD95) is a cell surface molecule that can mediate apoptosis. Bcl-2 is a cytoplasmic molecule that prolongs cellular survival by inhibiting apoptosis. To investigate the role of both molecules in hematopoiesis, we evaluated the expression of Fas Ag and Bcl-2 on CD34+ hematopoietic progenitor cells expanded in vitro. CD34+ cells isolated from bone marrow were cultured in iscove's modified Dulbecco's medium supplemented with 10% fetal calf serum, 1% bovine serum albumin, 50 ng/mL stem cell factor, 50 ng/mL interleukin-3 (IL-3), 50 ng/mL IL-6, 100 ng/mL granulocyte colony-stimulating factor, and 3 U/mL erythropoietin for 7 days. Colony-forming unit of granulocytes/macrophages (CFU-GM) and burst-forming unit of erythroids (BFU-E) were expanded 6.9-fold and 8.8-fold in number at day 5 of culture, respectively. Freshly isolated CD34+ cells did not express Fas Ag, whereas approximately half of them expressed Bcl-2. CD34+ cells cultured with hematopoietic growth factors gradually became positive for Fas Ag and rapidly lost Bcl-2 expression. Furthermore, apoptosis was induced in the cultured CD34+ population when anti-Fan antibody (IgM; 1 microgram/mL) was added, as shown by significant decrease in the number of viable cells, morphologic changes, induction of DNA fragmentation, and significant decrease in the number of clonogenic progenitor cells including CFU. GM and BFU-E. These results indicate that functional expression of Fas Ag is induced on CD34+ cells expanded in vitro in the presence of hematopoietic growth factors. Induction of Fas Ag and downregulation of Bcl-2 may be expressed as part of the differentiation program of hematopoietic cells and may be involved in the regulation of hematopoiesis.

Description: We investigated the expression of an apoptosis-associated antigen (Fas) (CD95) on hematopoietic progenitor cells in the presence or absence of interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma) and/or tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF- alpha). CD34+ cells freshly isolated from bone marrow did not express Fas. However, IFN-gamma and/or TNF-alpha induced the expression of both the mRNA of Fas and Fas itself in a dose-dependent fashion on the surface of CD34+ cells after 48 hours of serum-free culture. IFN-gamma and TNF-alpha had a synergistic effect on the induction of Fas, when both cytokines were added to the culture. The TNF-alpha-induced Fas expression is mediated by p55 TNF-alpha receptor. CD34+ cells cultured in medium alone or with stem cell factor (SCF) showed some slight expression of Fas. When anti-Fas antibody (IgM) was added to CD34+ cells after the induction of Fas expression, CD34+ cells underwent apoptosis, as shown by a decrease in the number of viable cells, morphologic changes, the induction of DNA fragmentation, and a decrease in the number of colony-forming cells (CFC) including colony-forming unit granulocytes/macrophages (CFU-GM) and burst-forming unit erythroids (BFU-E). These observations indicate that IFN-gamma and/or TNF-alpha, well known as negative hematopoietic regulators, induce functional Fas on hematopoietic progenitor cells. The suppression of hematopoiesis by negative hematopoietic regulators may be mediated in part by Fas induction.

Description: Effects of aclacinomycin-A (ACM) on leukemic cells and normal hematopoietic stem cells were studied for the purpose of evaluating the usefulness of this agent as an antileukemic agent. ACM suppressed not only leukemic colony-forming unit (LCFU) in the radiation-induced murine erythroleukemia, but also normal hematopoietic stem cells (CFU- S, CFU-C) in mice. However, LCFU was the most sensitive to ACM. After the administration of ACM at a dose of 5 mg/kg. LCFU was suppressed to 0.02 of the control on day 3 and recovered within 5 days. Splenic CFU-S and CFU-C were suppressed to the nadirs on day 2 and day 1, respectively, and they recovered within 5 days. On the basis of the differences in the sensitivities to ACM and recovery patterns between LCFU and normal hematopoietic stem cells. ACM at a single dose of 5 mg/kg was administered every 3 days (total dose of 25 mg/kg) into leukemic mice, and the increase in mean lifespan obtained 113.9%. Effectiveness of ACM in the treatment of acute leukemia was discussed.

Description: We investigated the expression of an apoptosis-associated antigen (Fas) (CD95) on hematopoietic progenitor cells in the presence or absence of interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma) and/or tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF- alpha). CD34+ cells freshly isolated from bone marrow did not express Fas. However, IFN-gamma and/or TNF-alpha induced the expression of both the mRNA of Fas and Fas itself in a dose-dependent fashion on the surface of CD34+ cells after 48 hours of serum-free culture. IFN-gamma and TNF-alpha had a synergistic effect on the induction of Fas, when both cytokines were added to the culture. The TNF-alpha-induced Fas expression is mediated by p55 TNF-alpha receptor. CD34+ cells cultured in medium alone or with stem cell factor (SCF) showed some slight expression of Fas. When anti-Fas antibody (IgM) was added to CD34+ cells after the induction of Fas expression, CD34+ cells underwent apoptosis, as shown by a decrease in the number of viable cells, morphologic changes, the induction of DNA fragmentation, and a decrease in the number of colony-forming cells (CFC) including colony-forming unit granulocytes/macrophages (CFU-GM) and burst-forming unit erythroids (BFU-E). These observations indicate that IFN-gamma and/or TNF-alpha, well known as negative hematopoietic regulators, induce functional Fas on hematopoietic progenitor cells. The suppression of hematopoiesis by negative hematopoietic regulators may be mediated in part by Fas induction.

Description: The leukemia-specific AML1/ETO fusion gene has been shown to be detected by reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) analysis in patients with t(8;21) acute myelogenous leukemia (AML) in long-term remission. In the present study, the AML1/ETO mRNA could be detected by RT-PCR in bone marrow (BM) and/or peripheral blood (PB) samples from all 18 patients who had been maintaining complete remission for 12 to 150 months (median, 45 months) following chemotherapy or PB stem cell transplantation (PBSCT), whereas it could not be detected in four patients who had been maintaining remission for more than 30 months following allogeneic BM transplantation (BMT). We surveyed the expression of AML1/ETO mRNA in clonogenic progenitors from BM in these cases. Notably, 51 of 2,469 colonies from clonogenic progenitors (2.1%) expressed the AML1/ETO mRNA in 18 cases who were RT- PCR+ in BM and/or PB samples. Expression was observed in various clonogenic progenitors, including granulocyte-macrophage colonies, mixed colonies, erythroid colonies, and megakaryocyte colonies. Furthermore, we analyzed the clonality of these progenitors by X- chromosome inactivation patterns of the phosphoglycerate kinase (PGK) gene in four female patients. The AML1/ETO mRNA+ progenitors showed the PGK allele identical to that detected in the leukemic blasts from the time of initial diagnosis. Normal constitutive hematopoiesis was sustained by polyclonal BM reconstitution in these patients. Accordingly, these committed progenitor cells that express AML1/ETO mRNA during remission likely have arisen from common t(8;21)+ pluripotent progenitor cells with at least trilineage differentiation potential. These data strongly suggest that the origin of the clonogenic leukemic progenitors of t(8;21) AML may be multipotent hematopoietic progenitors that acquired the t(8;21) chromosomal abnormality.

Description: Effects of aclacinomycin-A (ACM) on leukemic cells and normal hematopoietic stem cells were studied for the purpose of evaluating the usefulness of this agent as an antileukemic agent. ACM suppressed not only leukemic colony-forming unit (LCFU) in the radiation-induced murine erythroleukemia, but also normal hematopoietic stem cells (CFU- S, CFU-C) in mice. However, LCFU was the most sensitive to ACM. After the administration of ACM at a dose of 5 mg/kg. LCFU was suppressed to 0.02 of the control on day 3 and recovered within 5 days. Splenic CFU-S and CFU-C were suppressed to the nadirs on day 2 and day 1, respectively, and they recovered within 5 days. On the basis of the differences in the sensitivities to ACM and recovery patterns between LCFU and normal hematopoietic stem cells. ACM at a single dose of 5 mg/kg was administered every 3 days (total dose of 25 mg/kg) into leukemic mice, and the increase in mean lifespan obtained 113.9%. Effectiveness of ACM in the treatment of acute leukemia was discussed.