Abstract
The acceptance or rejection of leukemic cells by the host may be related to transplantation immunology. Viral infections of cells are known to alter the antigenic composition of cell membranes and lead to the development of new antigens, deletions with replacement by fetal forms, and/or partial development of specific antigens. Search for aberrant HL-A antigens in leukemias may lead to the discovery of tumor-specific antigens. HL-A phenotypes were determined by microcytotoxicity and absorption methods in 20 patients with acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL) and 50 family members; 10 patients with chronic granulocytic leukemia; 20 patients with other lympho- and myelo-proliferative disorders and tumors. Seven of 16 ALL patients possessed one or two HL-A antigens not expected from family analysis. The aberrant HL-A specificities differed from patient to patient. Five of 16 ALL patients demonstrated three HL-A alleles per segregant group not found in family members. The gene frequency of HL-A7 in the ALL group was lower than expected (p < 0.01). There also appears to be a paucity of HL-A specificities at the locus of the second segregant group (5, 7, 8, 12) in ALL (p < 0.01). No relationship was found between certain HL-A genotypes and ALL. Malignant transformation of cells did lead to aberrant HL-A patterns. The discovery of HL-A specificities unique to the ALL patient through family analyses may form a basis for the development of immunotherapy.
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Fong, S., Lundak, R., Britt, S. et al. IMMUNOLOGY: HL-A phenotypes in leukemias: A family study. Pediatr Res 5, 377 (1971). https://doi.org/10.1203/00006450-197108000-00026
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1203/00006450-197108000-00026