Expression of Ia-like antigen molecules on human granulocytes during early phases of differentiation

Human B lymphocyte antigens analogous to the murine Ia determinants were found on myeloblasts and promyelocytes but not on more mature granulocytes. This was apparent by fluorescent staining with both human alloantisera and rabbit antisera to the isolated Ia-like proteins. The cells of patients with chronic myelocytic leukemia showed this difference especially clearly. Separation of the myeloblasts and promyelocytes by multistep density gradient fractionation produced a marked enrichment of the positive cells. The remaining cells from higher density fractions were more-mature neutrophils that were essentially negative. In acute myeloid leukemia, in which myeloid cells early in differentiation predominate, the vast majority of cells were strongly positive. Similar results were obtained with normal bone marrow cells. Here also, only the early forms of the myeloid series separated by gradient centrifugation had Ia antigens. Evidence was also obtained for the presence of Ia determinants on cells with the appearance of early erythroid precursors. Support for the presence of the Ia determinants on granulocyte-macrophage committed stem cells was provided by the inhibition of granulocyte colony formation in agar cultures following preincubation of normal bone marrow with antiserum and complement. Cross absorptions with purified preparations of immature cells provided evidence for the close similarity of the antigenic determinants on both myeloblasts and B cells. A 28,000-37,000-dalton bimolecular complex obtained from myeloblast membranes contained the Ia determinants and was similar to that obtained from peripheral blood B cell membranes.