SYNTHESIS OF A PEROXIDASE-ACTIVITY BY CELLS OF HAIRY CELL LEUKEMIA - STUDY BY ULTRASTRUCTURAL CYTOCHEMISTRY

Google Scholar
  • 1 January 1978
    • journal article
    • research article
    • Vol. 52  (3) , 537-550
Abstract
The nature of cells present in the blood, marrow and spleen of patients with hairy cell leukemia is largely debated. These cells have been tentatively categorized on the basis of monocytic or lymphocytic markers, and the accumulating data indicates that they share some characteristics of both cell types. Although hairy cells are known to lack myeloperoxidase-positive granules, present in normal human monocytes, the possible presence of other peroxidase activities differing from the granule-bound myeloperoxidase was investigated. The study was performed with several methods based on the incubation of fixed and unfixed cells in the presence of diaminobenzidine and hydrogen peroxide. A peroxidase activity was found in hairy cells, located always in the endoplasmic reticulum but not in the Golgi apparatus or in any granule. By its cytochemical characteristics it appears to be closely related to that of tissue macrophages, activated blood monocytes and other non-lymphocytic hematopoietic cells. This peroxidase is not found in lymphocytes with B [bone marrow-derived] or T [thymus-derived] phenotypes.