Terminal Deoxyribonucleotidyl Transferase in Human Leukemia

Abstract

Terminal deoxyribonucleotidyl transferase (EC 2.7.7.31; nucleoside triphosphate:DNA nucleotidyl.

Terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase in human lymphomas: possible existence of forms with high and low molecular weights

“…2 gradients, and their estimated sedimentation coefficient of 3*45 and 3*70 S approached the 3*65 S measurement reported for the bovine thymus TdT (Chang & Bollum, 1971). These data agree with the results by other investigators who found identical S values for the TdT enzymes from calf thymus and from the white blood cells from cases of acute myelomonocytic leukaemia (Coleman et al, 1974b), of CML in blast crisis (Marcus et al, 1976) and of ALL .…”

“…It confirms that the enzyme is functionally expressed in the LL tissue and it shows that the intracellular concentration of TdT in these tumours can be as high as in the blasts in peripheral blood from ALL patients. We have also found either small or large mol.-wt forms of TdT in the LL tumours, similar to the enzymes of low (Coleman et al, 1974b;Marcus et al, 1976;Sarin et al, 1976) and high mol. wts (Deibel & Coleinan, 1979) that had been described in TdT+ leukaemias.…”

Terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase in a case of PH1 positive infant chronic myelogenous leukaemia

“…These values are similar to those reported for thymocytes (Coleman et al, 1974) and ALL cells (Sarin and Gallo, 1974;McCaffrey et al, 1975). The enzyme was identified by its chromatographic properties which were similar to those reported by other workers (Sarin and Gallo, 1974; and its ability to polymerize deoxyguanosine 5'-triphosphate on an oligo (dpA)1218 initiator, thus distinguishing it from a " similar " enzyme reported to be present in murine myeloma (Penit, Paraf and Chapeville, 1975).…”

“…The appearance of terminal transferase in such cases may be compatible with, and related to, the observation that for 10-15% of CML patients in blast transformation the resulting leukaemic cells seem to have some " lymphoid " characteristics (Boggs, 1974). If indeed the enzyme is specific for thymic and pre-thymic cells, as suggested by several authors (Coleman et al, 1974;McCaffrey et al, 1975), the presence of terminal transferase in some blastic CMLs may represent a true " lymphoblastoid " transformation. In L.C., at the time of examination, however, the peripheral blood and bone marrow showed a predominance of maturing myeloid elements and no evidence for blastic crisis.…”

Terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase activity in lymphoma

“…The enzyme is present in 1-5% of murine marrow cells (Pazmino et al, 1977) and is restricted to the immature cortisone-sensitive fraction of thymic lymphocytes. The enzyme has also been found in the cells of patients with non-T, non-B, acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL), T-cell ALL, and of some patients with blast transformation of chronic granulocytic leukaemia (CGL), but is usually absent in other types of leukaemia (McCaffrey et al, 1973;1975;Coleman et al, 1974Coleman et al, , 1976Sarin et al, 1976;Hoffbrand et al, 1977). It appears therefore that the enzyme is present in the pluripotential marrow stem cell and is lost as cells mature down the myeloid or lymphoid pathways, being retained only in thymocytes.…”