KARYOTYPICALLY DISTINCT SUB-POPULATIONS IN ACUTE-LEUKEMIA WITH SPECIFIC GROWTH REQUIREMENTS

  • 1 January 1982
    • journal article
    • research article
    • Vol. 59  (3) , 641-645
Abstract
Bone marrow and blood cells of a patient with acute monoblastic leukemia with subclones marked with specific karyotypic abnormalities were investigated. To evaluate the proliferative abilities of these populations, leukemic cell enriched fractions were prepared and incubated in 2 colony assays. Colony forming cells of the disparate clones had growth advantages in different systems which shows that their proliferation depended on the presence of selective stimulatory factors in culture. In 1 assay at diagnosis, colonies from the minor clone were demonstrated exclusively. The assays apparently measured distinct cellular stages of myeloid differentiation. Prior to diagnosis the neoplasm had probably evolved into subsets with progressive dedifferentiation. Differences of growth in vitro correlated with the different roles of these clones in the clinical history of the disease. Approaches based on differential cloning of tumor stem cells may be useful for discriminating biological properties of heterogeneous subpopulations with neoplasms and may facilitate the cytogenetic recognition of minimal clones among composite malignant cell specimens.