Receptors for sheep erythrocytes (E) and erythrocyte‐antibody‐complement complexes (EAC) on the lymphoblasts of childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia

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Abstract
Two cell‐surface markers, rosette formation with sheep erythrocytes (E‐rosette) as a T‐cell marker and rosette formation with bovine erythrocyte‐antibody‐complement complex (EAC‐rosette) as a B‐cell marker were determined on peripheral blood lymphocytes and lymphoblasts from normal and 89 children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL).In the majority of the patients (12/15 untreated patients and 6/11 patients in relapse), lymphoblasts exhibited neither E‐ nor EAC‐rosette formation. Lymphoblasts from one untreated patient with mediastinal mass displayed E‐(50%) and EAC‐rosette formation (15%). In 3 of 11 patients in relapse, lymphoblasts displayed an increase in EAC‐rosette formation with progressive disease. In the remaining patients with active disease, a small and variable proportion of lymphoblasts expressed E and/or EAC‐rosette formation. In 63 patients in remission, percentages of E‐ and/or EAC‐rosette were similar (p > 0.05) to those of control.The results indicate a wide heterogeneity with respect to expression of lymphocyte membrane markers in lymphoblasts and in normal lymphocytes in patients with active ALL.