Monoclonal-antibody-mediated apoptosis in adult T-cell leukaemia.

The monoclonal antibody anti-APO-1 recognises a 52 kD cell membrane protein (APO-1) on some lymphoid tumour cell lines and on activated T cells. Binding of anti-APO-1 to cells expressing APO-1 results in programmed cell death, apoptosis, the most common form of death in eukaryotic cells. Expression of the antigen and sensitivity to the induction of cell death by anti-APO-1 were studied in human T-cell lines transformed by human leukaemia virus type 1 (HTLV-I) and in cultured cells from patients with adult T-cell leukaemia (ATL). APO-1 was strongly expressed on both types of cells and incubation of the cells with anti-APO-1 resulted in inhibition of proliferation and apoptosis. Induction of apoptosis may therefore be a possible therapeutic tool in HTLV-I-associated malignant disorders.