Emerging data suggest that VEGF receptors are expressed by endothelial cells as well as hematopoietic stem cells. Therefore, we hypothesized that functional VEGF receptors may also be expressed in malignant counterparts of hematopoietic stem cells such as leukemias. We demonstrate that certain leukemias not only produce VEGF but also express functional VEGFR-2 in vivo and in vitro, resulting in...

The suppressive effect of L-ascorbic acid on the growth of bone marrow cells from patients with acute nonlymphocytic leukemia was studied using a modified agar culture method featuring daily feeding to allow the growth of leukemic cell colonies. In seven of 28 patients (25%), the numbers of leukemic cell colonies grown in culture were reduced to 21% of control by the addition of L-ascorbic acid...

We examined the ability of patient-derived human leukemic blasts to generate leukemic growth and dissemination in severe combined immunodeficiency (SCID) mice by subcutaneous inoculation without conditioning treatment or administration of growth-promoting cytokines. Additionally, we correlated the growth pattern with the clinical outcome of patients from whom the leukemic cells were derived. Th...

The ability of monoclonal antibodies against the Thy-1.1 differentiation antigen to inhibit the growth of transplanted syngeneic AKR/J SL2 leukemic cells has been previously demonstrated. In the present study we further examined therapy with monoclonal antibody of the IgG2a isotype, which was the most effective isotype studied. Intravenous infusion of ascites fluid containing the anti-Thy-1.1 m...

Suspensions of leukemic lymphocytes and myeloblasts and blood of leukemic patients were studied to examine (a) the effect of leukemic cells on blood viscosity and (b) the ability of leukemic cells to traverse channels of capillary diameter. The viscosity of suspensions of leukemic cells was dependent logarithmically on (a) shear strain rate and (b) cytocrit, although, suspensions of small lymph...

T-cell large granular lymphocyte (LGL) leukemia is characterized by clonal expansion of CD3(+)CD8(+) cells. Leukemic LGLs correspond to terminally differentiated effector-memory cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTLs) that escape Fas-mediated activation-induced cell death (AICD) in vivo. The gene expression signature of peripheral blood mononuclear cells from 30 LGL leukemia patients showed profound dys...

The role of the thymus in induction of leukemia was studied in vitro. Curltivation of normal thymus cells on thymus epithelial reticulum cell monolayers that had been grown from radiation leukemia virus-induced leukemic thymuses rendered the thymocytes leukemic. C57BL/6 thymocytes were cultivated for 3 days on leukemic thymus reticulum monolayers, and 106 thymocytes were injected i.p. into youn...

Numerous minor histocompatibility antigens (MiHAs) show tissue-specific expression and can induce vigorous T cell responses. They therefore represent attractive targets for leukemia immunotherapy mediated by adoptive transfer of T cells. The main objective of this work was to determine whether MiHAs expressed by normal hematopoietic cells were present on leukemic cells and whether they could tr...

Human T-cell leukemia virus type-I (HTLV-I) is the etiologic agent of adult T-cell leukemia (ATL). This study examined the status of the oncogenic transcription factor AP-1 in leukemic cells freshly isolated from patients with ATL. Leukemic cells from peripheral blood of all patients with ATL exhibited constitutive AP-1 DNA binding activity, whereas mononuclear cells from normal individuals did...