Differential expression of interleukin‐2 receptors (α and β chain) in mature lymphoid neoplasms

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Abstract
We investigated the expression of interleukin-2 receptors (IL-2R) in 60 adult patients with mature lymphoid neoplasms by flow cytometric analysis, using two monoclonal antibodies, anti-Tac for IL-2R α-chain (IL-2Rα) and Mik-β for IL-2R β-chain (IL-2Rβ). Among B-cell malignancies, IL-2Rα was found in 13/25 (52%) cases of chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) and its variants, 3/14 (21%) of a heterogenous group of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL) and none of the plasma cell diseases. IL-2Rβ was not observed in any of B-cell neoplasms. IL-2Rα was more frequently expressed in CD11 b(+) B-cell neoplasms than in CD11b(-) (P < 0.05). In T-cell disorders, all three cases of adult T-cell leukemia/lymphoma expressed IL-2Rα but not IL-2Rβ. IL-2Rβ was detected in 3/8 cases of CLL and 2/3 of NHL and none of these cases expressed IL-2Rα. CD8(+) malignant T-cells commonly displayed IL-2Rβ. These data indicate that the IL-2Rα and IL-2Rβ in mature lymphoid neoplasms was expressed independently each other and was associated with the particular phenotypical characteristics of neoplastic cells, respectively.