Adult T-cell leukemia in Japan: An ultrastructural study

Abstract

An electron microscopic study of adult T-cell leukemia, which might be a new distinct disease entity of T-cell malignancies, is presented. The most characteristic feature of adult T-cell leukemia was an extremely irregular nucleus with condensed heterochromatin in the nuclear periphery, the greater part of which was very similar to the small-cell variant form of Sézary syndrome, although some nuclei were similar to normal-appearing lymphocytes or atypical lymphoid cells with slightly indented nuclei or Sézary cells. Nuclear pockets containing tubuloreticular structures and filamentous structures etc., were also characteristic. Regarding the cytoplasmic features, the appearance of clustered dense bodies seemed to be a distinguishing feature of adult T-cell leukemia. Tubuloreticular structures were also observed in some cases. The nature of the test tube-shaped or ring-shaped forms in rough endoplasmic reticulum, which appeared in one case, is not clear.

Natural antibodies to the structural core protein (p24) of the human T-cell leukemia (lymphoma) retrovirus found in sera of leukemia patients in Japan

“…The low-frequency finding of antibodies to HTLV in our initial screen of sera ofleukemic patients and normal donors from the United States and Europe is consistent with this. On the other hand, the incidence ofadult T-cell leukemias and lymphomas is relatively high in Japan, and they cluster in southwest Japan (17)(18)(19). The results reported here clearly indicate the presence of antibodies to HTLV p24 among a high percentage of the leukemic sera obtained from Japan ( Fig.…”

“…In Japan the incidence of adult T-cell leukemias (ATL) is greater than in most countries studied, and a significant cluster of so-called ATL was reported around the Kyushu district (17)(18)(19). In addition, several features of Japanese ATL are similar to those in some of the American cases positive for HTLV (20).…”

Nuclear envelope-limited chromatin sheets (ELCS) and heterochromatin higher order structure

“…Acute lymphoid leukemia (ALL) Eguchi et al 1977;Ghadially et al 1985;Glick et al 1978;McKenna et al 1979;Mollo and Stramignoni 1967;Schrek 1972;Schuurmans Stekhoven and Holland 1986;Shamoto et al 1981;Smith et al 1982;Youness et al 1980 Chronic lymphoid leukemia (CLL)…”

Natural Antibodies to Human Retrovirus HTLV in a Cluster of Japanese Patients with Adult T Cell Leukemia

“…Aiong its unique clinical features are adult onset, frequent skin involvement, and common organ involvement. The leukemic cells have convoluted nuclei and ultrastructurally are similar to a small cell variant form of Sezary syndrome, another malignancy of mature T cells (11). Adult T cell leukemia differs from classical Sezary T cell leukemia in that people with ATL show no typical Sezary cells, no leukemic cells in the epidermis despite intradermal or subcutaneous inifltration, an infiltration of leukemic cells into the bone marrow, and a shorter survival time (9).…”