Comprehensive analysis of the 9p21 region in neuroblastoma suggests a role for genes mapping to 9p21–23 in the biology of favourable stage 4 tumours

Chromosome 9p21 is frequently deleted in many cancers. Previous reports have indicated that 9p21 LOH is an uncommon finding in neuroblastoma (NB), a tumour of childhood. We have performed an extensive analysis of 9p21 and genes located in this region (cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor 2A – CDKN2A/p16INK4a, CDKN2A/p14ARF, CDKN2B/p15INK4b, MTAP, interferon α and β cluster). LOH was detected in 16.4% of 177 NB. The SRO was identified between markers D9S1751 and D9S254, at 9p21–23, a region telomeric to the CDKN2A and MTAP genes. A significantly better overall and progression-free survival was detected in stage 4 patients displaying 9p21–23 LOH. Hemizygous deletion of the region harbouring the CDKN2A and CDKN2B loci was identified in two tumours by means of fluorescent in situ hybridisation and MTAP was present by immunostaining in all but one tumour analysed. The transcriptional profile of tumours with 9p21–23 LOH was compared to that of NB displaying normal 9p21–23 status by means of oligonucleotide microarrays. Four of the 363 probe sets downregulated in tumours with 9p21–23 LOH were encoded by genes mapping to 9p22–24. The only well-characterised transcript among them was nuclear factor I-B3. Our results suggest a role for genes located telomeric of 9p21 in good risk NB

Human myeloid progenitor cells expressing HLA antigens

Abstract Marrow cells of known HLA type were incubated with HLA antiserum plus complement and then plated in soft agar. Colony formation was consistently inhibited by appropriate HLA antisera. Mixing experiments excluded an indirect effect on CFU-C by lysis of mature leukocytes. We conclude that human CFU-C express HLA antigens.</jats:p

Human myeloid progenitor cells expressing HLA antigens

Marrow cells of known HLA type were incubated with HLA antiserum plus complement and then plated in soft agar. Colony formation was consistently inhibited by appropriate HLA antisera. Mixing experiments excluded an indirect effect on CFU-C by lysis of mature leukocytes. We conclude that human CFU-C express HLA antigens.</jats:p

Complement-dependent killing of human hematopoietic progenitor cells with noncomplement-fixing monoclonal antibodies in an antiglobulin assay

Abstract A complement (C)-dependent antiglobulin assay was utilized to determine the reactivity of non-C-fixing monoclonal antibodies (MoAb) with human granulocyte-macrophage progenitor cells (CFU-GM). The variables of the assay were analyzed with non-C-fixing MoAb against Ia antigens, including CR11–462, which recognizes the same (or spatially close) determinant identified by the C-fixing anti-Ia MoAb Q5/13. The sensitivity of the antiglobulin assay was influenced by dilutions of anti-mouse Ig xenoantiserum and of rabbit C. Five non-C-fixing MoAb to Ia antigens, seven non-C-fixing MoAb to HLA-A,B antigens, and one non-C- fixing MoAb to beta 2-microglobulin induced marked inhibition of human CFU-GM in the antiglobulin assay. The activity of non-C-fixing MoAb in the antiglobulin assay was comparable to that of C-fixing anti-Ia and anti-HLA-A,B MoAb in the standard cytotoxicity assay. In addition, the cytotoxic effect of dilute C-fixing anti-Ia MoAb was enhanced when the antiglobulin technique was employed. The results of this study indicate that the antiglobulin assay is a rapid and simple technique for the characterization of antigens on human hematopoietic progenitors. Our data also indicate that Ia antigens are expressed on most CFU-GM and that the conflicting results in the literature (that is, those suggesting that Ia antigens are expressed on a smaller proportion of CFU-GM) may reflect differences in the cytolytic activity of the MoAb and rabbit C used.</jats:p

Complement-dependent killing of human hematopoietic progenitor cells with noncomplement-fixing monoclonal antibodies in an antiglobulin assay

A complement (C)-dependent antiglobulin assay was utilized to determine the reactivity of non-C-fixing monoclonal antibodies (MoAb) with human granulocyte-macrophage progenitor cells (CFU-GM). The variables of the assay were analyzed with non-C-fixing MoAb against Ia antigens, including CR11–462, which recognizes the same (or spatially close) determinant identified by the C-fixing anti-Ia MoAb Q5/13. The sensitivity of the antiglobulin assay was influenced by dilutions of anti-mouse Ig xenoantiserum and of rabbit C. Five non-C-fixing MoAb to Ia antigens, seven non-C-fixing MoAb to HLA-A,B antigens, and one non-C- fixing MoAb to beta 2-microglobulin induced marked inhibition of human CFU-GM in the antiglobulin assay. The activity of non-C-fixing MoAb in the antiglobulin assay was comparable to that of C-fixing anti-Ia and anti-HLA-A,B MoAb in the standard cytotoxicity assay. In addition, the cytotoxic effect of dilute C-fixing anti-Ia MoAb was enhanced when the antiglobulin technique was employed. The results of this study indicate that the antiglobulin assay is a rapid and simple technique for the characterization of antigens on human hematopoietic progenitors. Our data also indicate that Ia antigens are expressed on most CFU-GM and that the conflicting results in the literature (that is, those suggesting that Ia antigens are expressed on a smaller proportion of CFU-GM) may reflect differences in the cytolytic activity of the MoAb and rabbit C used.</jats:p

Expression of Ia-like and HLA-A,B antigens on human multipotential hematopoietic progenitor cells

Human multipotential hematopoietic progenitor cells can be assayed by their ability to form colonies of mixed cell lineages in vitro. These cells display la-like antigens and HLA-A,B,C antigens as evidenced by inhibition of colony formation by specific monoclonal antibodies and complement.</jats:p

Expression of Ia-like and HLA-A,B antigens on human multipotential hematopoietic progenitor cells

Abstract Human multipotential hematopoietic progenitor cells can be assayed by their ability to form colonies of mixed cell lineages in vitro. These cells display la-like antigens and HLA-A,B,C antigens as evidenced by inhibition of colony formation by specific monoclonal antibodies and complement.</jats:p

Monocytes stimulate fibroblastoid bone marrow stromal cells to produce multilineage hematopoietic growth factors

In previous studies we have found that monocytes produce soluble factors that stimulate human umbilical vein endothelial cells to produce granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating activity (CSA), burst- promoting activity (BPA), and megakaryocyte colony-stimulating activity (Meg-CSA) as well as factors that stimulate T lymphocytes and neonatal fibroblasts to produce CSA. To test the hypothesis that monocytes would similarly stimulate the production of hematopoietic growth factors by autologous bone marrow stromal cells, multiply-passaged adherent fibroblastoid cells derived from the bone marrow of normal volunteers were exposed to conditioned media prepared by incubating autologous peripheral blood monocytes in complete medium for three days. When conditioned media from stromal cells incubated in monocyte-conditioned medium were compared with those of stromal cells cultured in the absence of monocyte-conditioned medium, BPA was increased fourfold and CSA was increased more than 30-fold. We conclude that mononuclear phagocytes recruit stromal cells of the marrow to produce multilineage growth factors in vitro. We suggest that these monocyte-derived recruiting activities may play an important role in orchestration of hematopoietic growth factor production by cells of the marrow microenvironment.</jats:p