The Acute Leukemic Cell: IV. DNA Synthesis in Peripheral Blood and Bone Marrow

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Abstract
The purpose of this investigation was to study DNA synthesis of the acute leukemic cell in peripheral blood and bone marrow. Bone marrow and peripheral blood from nine adult patients with acute leukemia (4 myeloblastic, 2 monomyeloblastic, and 3 monoblastic) and 20 normal individuals were studied by means of autoradiography and liquid scintillation counting. The total labelling index and liquid scintillation results were greater in the marrow than in the peripheral blood for both patients with leukemia and normal persons. Six patients with leukemia showed a higher labelling index of blast cells in the marrow than in the peripheral blood. The normal marrow myeloblasts showed a higher labelling index (34.5%) than the leukemic blasts (13.7%). Large leukemic blasts were consistently labelled more frequently than small blasts in both bone marrow and peripheral blood. It is concluded that normal myeloblasts have a greater rate of DNA synthesis than leukemic blasts; and that some similarities to normal homeostatic mechanisms may exist in leukemic cell populations. Also, the greater rate of DNA synthesis in the adult leukemic blast compared with the lymphoblast of childhood leukemia assumes prognostic importance and probably is one of the factors that accounts for the earlier demise of the adult patient.

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