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Detection of myeloperoxidase by flow cytometry in acute lymphoblastic leukaemias with BCR-ABL gene rearrangement

Leukemia volume 15, pages 1671–1672 (2001)Cite this article

Myeloperoxidase (MPO) is an enzyme found exclusively in the primary granules of myeloid cells. Thus, according to the French–American–British classification, leukaemias with MPO activity in >3% of blasts are classified as acute myeloid leukaemias (AML). However, acute lymphoblastic leukaemias (ALL) can express one or more surface myeloid antigens (usually CD13, CD33 or CD66) and recently, we and others have demonstrated that ALL can also display MPO gene expression at mRNA level in the absence of MPO activity, specially in those cases with BCR-ABL or MLL genes rearrangements.1,2

The expression of MPO precursor protein detected by FCM in otherwise well-defined ALL, has been previously reported.4 Our results, confirmed by two different permeabilisation methods, demonstrate that MPO positivity in ALL is not related to artefact or misinterpretation and could be highly suggestive of underlying BCR-ABL rearrangements, regardless of the LAL lineage (B or T). The high incidence of this finding in ALL cases bearing BCR-ABL further reinforces that these acute leukaemias arise from a pluripotent stem cell precursor Ph+ capable of differentiating to myeloid or lymphoid lineage.5,6 Whether these MPO-positive ALL detected only by flow cytometry should be classified as biphenotypic leukaemias according to the scoring systems, could be a matter of debate. Additionally, this MPO expression could be used as an additional marker for minimal residual disease (MRD) monitoring. However, standardisation of analysis of intracellular antigens by FCM is needed in order to improve comparability of results for reliable lineage-assignment and its usefulness as a MRD marker.

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported by grant FIJC-98/ESP-GLAXO from the International Foundation Jose Carreras, Barcelona, Spain.

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  1. Hematology and Bone Marrow Transplantation Department, University Hospital, ‘Reina Sofia’, Córdoba, Spain

    J Sánchez, J Serrano, JM García-Castellano, E Madrigal & A Torres

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  1. J Sánchez
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Sánchez, J., Serrano, J., García-Castellano, J. et al. Detection of myeloperoxidase by flow cytometry in acute lymphoblastic leukaemias with BCR-ABL gene rearrangement. Leukemia 15, 1671–1672 (2001). https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.leu.2402241

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