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A J Furley

Publications and source records attributed to A J Furley.

27 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

Distribution and epitope analysis of the cell membrane glycoprotein (HPCA-1) associated with human hemopoietic progenitor cells.

Monoclonal antibodies My10, BI.3C5, 12.8, and ICH3 identify a monomeric cell surface glycoprotein (HPCA-1) of 100-120 kD, which is selectively expressed on human hemopoietic progenitor cells. Other tissues are nonreactive with the exception of capillary endothelia and basement membrane in some sites. In addition, the antigen can be detected on cell lines that exhibit characteristics associated with early T cell precursors. HPCA-1 is therefore associated with myeloid, B, and T lineage precursors. Sequential immunoprecipitation and Western blotting studies demonstrate that BI.3C5, ICH3, My10, and an antibody directed against endothelial cells, 188.27, all react with the same glycoprotein species, although the epitopes involved may be distinct. The epitope recognized by BI.3C5 is sialic acid dependent, whereas that recognized by ICH3 is not. The My10 epitope has partial sensitivity to neuraminidase. Competitive/additive binding experiments suggest that these epitopes, although probably distinct, may be closely associated.

Antibodies, Monoclonal↗

Lineage specificity of rearrangement and expression of genes encoding the T cell receptor-T3 complex and immunoglobulin heavy chain in leukemia.

In acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) diagnostic samples and cell lines with unequivocal B cell precursor (common) or T cell precursor immunophenotypes, there is inappropriate or cross-lineage IgH or T cell receptor beta gene (TCR beta) rearrangement in approximately 25% of the cases. The frequency of such rearrangements is lower in mature lymphoid neoplasms and acute myeloblastic leukemia. The most immature B lineage ALL ('null' ALL) has a much lower frequency of TCR gene rearrangement than the common variant of B cell precursor ALL and also has a high frequency of oligoclonal rearrangements of IgH genes. Non-T leukemic cells with inappropriately rearranged TCR beta gene did not necessarily have a rearranged TCR gamma gene. Inappropriately rearranged IgH or TCR genes are usually not expressed at the mRNA level, and the gene for the TCR associated protein T3 delta is not detectably expressed at the mRNA or protein level in leukemias classified unambiguously as non-T. Five cases of acute leukemia with ambiguous or mixed lineage immunophenotypes (myeloid + T or myeloid + B) are described. These five had diverse patterns of IgH, TCR beta, and TCR gamma rearrangement, and all expressed terminal transferase concomitantly with MY9 (CD33). The T3 delta gene was expressed in two cases, which also expressed other T cell markers indicating that coordinated lymphoid lineage programs had been initiated. The implications of these observations for lineage-associated regulation of genes during normal differentiation and leukemogenesis are discussed.

Adult↗

Rearrangement of immunoglobulin heavy chain genes in human T leukaemic cells shows preferential utilization of the D segment (DQ52) nearest to the J region.

The DNA rearrangements leading to the assembly of genes coding for the immunoglobulin heavy chain (IgH) in B cells and the T cell receptor for antigen in T cells are not completely lineage specific. This probably reflects the use of a common recombinase by IgH and the T cell receptor. This paper describes novel observations on the nature of these cross-lineage rearrangements. A high proportion (though not all) IgH rearrangements in human T leukaemic cells involve the D segment nearest to the J region (DQ52). This same D segment is not involved in B cell IgH rearrangements with one important exception, namely a proportion of B cell leukaemic clones with the most primitive B cell precursor phenotype. These observations have potentially important implications for early lymphoid cell differentiation and in particular support the idea that the 3' D plus J region might lie within a limited window of accessibility of the IgH gene in precursor lymphocytes.

DNA Restriction Enzymes↗

Developmentally regulated rearrangement and expression of genes encoding the T cell receptor-T3 complex.

Human leukemic cells corresponding to the earliest identifiable stages of intrathymic T cell differentiation lack cell surface expression of the T cell receptor(TCR alpha/beta)-T3 complex but transcribe TCR beta mRNA from either germ-line configuration (1/13) or partially (DJ) or fully (VDJ) rearranged (12/13) genes. These cells do not produce TCR alpha mRNA, but do contain T3 delta and T3 epsilon mRNA and accumulate T3 polypeptides, primarily in the perinuclear envelope. Equivalent normal T cells isolated from thymus have a predominantly germ-line configuration of TCR beta but contain intracellular T3 proteins. T3 gene expression is therefore a very early event in T cell differentiation. TCR alpha chain production appears to be the limiting maturation-linked event in the transport, assembly, and cell surface membrane insertion of the TCR alpha/beta-T3 complex.

Antigens, Differentiation, T-Lymphocyte↗

Clonal rearrangement and expression of the T cell receptor beta gene and involvement of the breakpoint cluster region in blast crisis of CGL.

A case of lymphoid blast crisis of Ph1-positive CGL is described in which the blast cells had an immature T cell phenotype, clonal rearrangement and expression of the T cell receptor beta gene, and a rearrangement of the breakpoint cluster region (bcr) on chromosome 22. This case therefore provides definite evidence for transformation involving a common myeloid-T lineage progenitor, penetrance of the Ph1 molecular alteration into the T cell lineage, and clonal selection in blast crisis at the level of a committed T lineage precursor.

Chromosome Mapping↗

Lineage promiscuity in hemopoietic differentiation and leukemia.

An increasing number of reports document instances in which individual leukemic cells coexpress markers normally believed to be restricted to a single lineage. This has been interpreted by McCulloch and colleagues as aberrant programming or lineage infidelity and contrasts with earlier suggestions that lineage fidelity of gene expression was usually maintained in leukemia. We argue that several examples of infidelity are suspect on technical grounds, whereas others are bona fide and require explanation, eg, partial rearrangements and expression of Ig heavy-chain and/or T cell receptor genes in inappropriate cells and terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase in leukemic myeloblasts. Individual examples of truly aberrant gene expression may well occur in leukemia but with insufficient regularity to be of general significance. We suggest that verifiable and consistent examples of apparent lineage infidelity do not reflect genetic misprogramming but rather the existence of a transient phase of limited promiscuity of gene expression occurring in normal biopotential or multipotential progenitors and able to be preserved as a relic in leukemic blast cell populations that are in maturation arrest. This alternative explanation has interesting implications for mechanisms of hematopoietic differentiation and leads to some testable predictions.

Animals↗

Divergent molecular phenotypes of KG1 and KG1a myeloid cell lines.

The cell line KG1 derived from a patient with erythroleukemia in myeloblastic relapse has the composite phenotype and functional repertoire of myeloblasts. In marked contrast, its subline KG1a has lost myeloid features, acquired new karyotypic markers, and has three characteristics associated with immature T cells: low-level expression of the T cell receptor beta mRNA (but not alpha) transcribed from a germline gene; high-level expression of T3 delta mRNA and intracellular, but not cell surface, T3 protein; and expression of the CD7/gp40 T cell-associated membrane antigen. Both KG1 and KG1a transcribe unrearranged IgH genes. These data suggest that either the KG1 cell line was derived from a common myeloid-lymphoid progenitor or that the KG1a subline phenotype is aberrant.

Antibodies, Monoclonal↗

Long-term potentiation in mice lacking the neural cell adhesion molecule L1.

Genetic evidence indicates that cell adhesion molecules of the immunoglobulin superfamily (IgCAMs) are critical for activity-dependent synapse formation at the neuromuscular junction in Drosophila and have also been implicated in synaptic remodelling during learning in Aplysia (see [1] for review). In mammals, a widely adopted model for the process of learning at the cellular level is long-term potentiation (LTP) in the hippocampal formation. Studies in vitro have shown that antibodies to the IgCAMs L1 and NCAM reduce LTP in CA1 neurons of rat hippocampus, suggesting a role for these molecules in the modulation of synaptic efficacy, perhaps by regulating synaptic remodelling [2]. A role for NCAM in LTP has been confirmed in mice lacking NCAM [3] (but see [4]), but similar studies have not been reported for L1. Here we examine LTP in the hippocampus of mice lacking L1 [5,6], using different experimental protocols in three different laboratories. In tests of LTP in vitro and in vivo we found no significant differences between mutant animals and controls. Thus, contrary to expectation, our data suggest that L1 function is not necessary for the establishment or maintenance of LTP in the hippocampus. Impaired performance in spatial learning exhibited by L1 mutants may therefore not be due to hippocampal dysfunction [6].

Animals↗