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The expression of the Ig-linked mb-1 polypeptide was analyzed by immunocytochemistry (alkaline phosphatase anti-alkaline phosphatase technique) using a specific monoclonal antibody in 165 cases of acute leukemia, with 88 being lymphoblastic (ALL) and 77 myeloid (AML). The purpose of the study was to investigate the specificity of this reagent for B-lineage cases and its reactivity on leukemias that coexpress myeloid and B-cell antigens (biphenotypic). The majority (89%) of 72 B- cell precursor ALL patients were positive. Of these, mb-1 was expressed in all 9 patients with early-B-ALL (CD10-, c mu-), in all 11 patients with pre-B-ALL (c mu+) and in the single case of B-ALL (smIgM+). Forty- three of 51 patients with common-ALL (CD10+, c mu+) were also positive. All 16 T-lineage ALL patients and 72 (93.5%) of the AML patients examined were mb-1 negative. Four of the 5 mb-1-positive AML patients were considered biphenotypic and expressed other B-cell antigens such as CD10, CD19, and/or cCD22 and all showed rearrangement of the Ig heavy chain genes. Within the AML cases, mb-1 and cCD22 were more useful than other B-cell antigens in detecting biphenotypic cases, and mb-1 showed the highest correlation with the clonal rearrangement of Ig heavy chain genes. These results indicate that mb-1 is a sensitive and specific reagent for B-lineage blasts that will aid in the classification of B-cell precursor ALL and in the identification of biphenotypic leukemia presenting as AML.