A cell line, designated RS4;11, was established from the bone marrow of a patient in relapse with an acute leukemia that was characterized by the t(4;11) chromosomal abnormality. The cell line and the patient's fresh leukemic cells both had the t(4;11)(q21;q23) and an isochromosome for the long arm of No. 7. Morphologically, all cells were lymphoid in appearance. Ultrastructurally and cytochemically, approximately 30% of the cells possessed myeloid features. The cells were strongly positive for terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase. They were HLA-DR positive and expressed surface antigens characteristic for B lineage cells, including those detected by anti-B4, BA-1, BA-2, and PI153/3. Immunoglobulin gene analysis revealed rearrangements of the heavy chain and kappa chain genes. The cells lacked the common acute lymphoblastic leukemia antigen and antigenic markers characteristic of T lineage cells. The cells reacted with the myeloid antibody 1G10 but not with other myeloid monoclonal antibodies. Treatment with 12-O-tetradecanoyl- phorbol-13-acetate induced a monocyte-like phenotype demonstrated by cytochemical, functional, immunologic, and electron microscopic studies. The expression of markers of both early lymphoid and early myeloid cells represents an unusual phenotype and suggests that RS4;11 represents a cell with dual lineage capabilities. To our knowledge, RS4;11 is the first cell line established from t(4;11)-associated acute leukemia.

We have previously used a chromium-release assay to demonstrate that the cocktail of monoclonal antibodies BA-1, BA-2, BA-3, and complement can effectively lyse human leukemic cells in the presence of excess bone marrow. Using a leukemic cell colony assay, we have reinvestigated the variables influencing lysis of human leukemic cells (KM-3, HPB- NULL, NALM-6) in bone marrow using BA-1, BA-2, BA-3, and complement. Specific variables addressed included the concentration of excess bone marrow cells, the number of treatments, the presence or absence of DNase during the treatment, the combination of antibodies, and the sensitivity of different leukemic cell lines to lysis. Using the colony assay, the BA-1,2,3 cocktail was shown to be more effective than any single antibody or combination of two antibodies. We also determined that the concentration of excess bone marrow cells and number of treatments had a direct bearing on leukemic cell lysis. Although two cycles of treatment were significantly superior to one cycle, three cycles were not significantly superior to two cycles. Inclusion of DNase (10 micrograms/mL) was a critical adjunct that eliminated clumping and facilitated plating cells in the colony assay. Finally, we could show that striking differences existed in the sensitivity of the leukemic cell lines to lysis with the BA-1,2,3 cocktail and complement. NALM-6 cells were the most sensitive (approximately four logs of kill), and KM-3 cells were the most resistant (less than two logs of kill). Our results strongly support the utility of sensitive leukemic cell colony assays in the analysis of marrow treatment variables in autologous bone marrow transplantation.

In the present study we utilized a semisolid culture system with feeder cells and enriched media to evaluate the growth of acute leukemia associated with the 4;11 chromosomal translocation. We compared growth of t(4;11) leukemia to typical acute nonlymphocytic leukemia (ANL) and acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL). The two cases of t(4;11) leukemia tested exhibited the highest cloning efficiency of cells tested. The growth characteristics of t(4;11) leukemia were more similar to ANL than ALL.

The monoclonal antibodies (MoAb) T101, G3.7, 35.1, and TA-1 were conjugated to intact ricin using a thioether linkage. These MoAb detect, respectively, the CD5[gp67], CD7[p41], CD2[p50], and [gp95, 170] determinants that are found in the vast majority of cases of T cell acute lymphocytic leukemia (T-ALL). The resulting immunotoxins (ITs) and an equimolar mixture of these ITs were evaluated as potential purgative reagents for autologous transplantation in T-ALL. Leukemic cell lines were used to compare the kinetics of protein synthesis inactivation mediated by each IT. The cells were treated with IT in the presence of lactose in order to block the native binding of ricin. The observed rates of protein synthesis inactivation correlated with target antigen expression detected by fluorescence-activated cell sorter analysis. Of the four ITs, T101-ricin (T101-R) exhibited the fastest rate of inactivation, followed in order by G3.7-ricin, TA-1-ricin, and 35.1-ricin. At concentrations greater than 300 ng/mL, a cocktail containing an equimolar amount of all four ITs (referred to as the four- IT cocktail) exhibited kinetics that were as fast or faster than those of T101-R. The long-term cytotoxic effects of individual ITs and the four-IT cocktail were evaluated using a sensitive clonogenic assay. Each IT was specifically cytotoxic and inhibited 1 to 4 logs of clonogenic leukemic cells at doses (300 to 600 ng/mL) that can be used clinically. The four-IT cocktail was highly cytotoxic; a concentration of 300 ng/mL inhibited greater than 4 logs of leukemic cells while sparing the majority of committed (CFU-GM, CFU-E) and pluripotent (CFU- GEMM) hematopoietic stem cells. The determination of both short-term kinetics of protein synthesis inactivation and longer-term inhibition of clonogenic growth allowed new insight into cell killing by IT. Our results suggest that ITs continue to act on clonogenic target cells for a period of three to five days. Interestingly, the four-IT cocktail was not as potent against clonogenic leukemic cells as T101-R alone, although it exhibited kinetics of protein synthesis inhibition that were as fast as those of T101-R alone. This finding suggests that internalized ITs may differ in the length of time they remain active within the cell. Our results also demonstrate the importance of using several different assays to evaluate IT reagents.