抄録
Bone marrow from 10 patients with atypical leukemia was cultured with conventional agar culture method using PHA-LCM and feeding culture method. Qualitative studies of CFC and cluster forming cells were performed. They include cytological, cytochemical and immunological examination of all colonies and determination of the fraction of CFU-c in S phase. The results showed an absence of colony formation in one and decreases colony formation in 7 patients with atypical leukemia. All colonies developed were granulocytic and/or macrophagic colonies. At the seventh day of incubation, almost all CFC were already matured with a predominance of metamyelocytes and mature granulocytes. Blast cell colony was never seen despite extensive studies.
Some of the patients showed markedly disordered CFC and CSA and lowering suicide index, suggesting impaired proliferation and differentiation of pluripotent stem cells. In some patients, early degeneration and premature death of CFC was observed, suggesting the possibility that there might exist defects of cellular maturation.
These qualitative culture studies may serve to define more precisely the true nature of the disease.
