DETERMINATION OF A SHARED EPITOPE ON CELLS FROM ACUTE MYELOGENIC LEUKEMIA (AML) AND T-ACUTE LYMPHOBLASTIC LEUKEMIA ( T-ALL)

Two IgM monoclonal antibodies (MAb) with strong reactivity for granulocytes and to a lesser extent for lurkat cell lines were established by immunizing BALBI c mice with a histiocytic cell line (UY37). 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.