Interleukin-7 differentiates a subgroup of acute lymphoblastic leukemias.

The bone marrow stromal cell-derived growth factor interleukin-7 (IL-7) is known to stimulate growth of normal human B-cell precursors. In the present report, we have examined the effect of IL-7 on neoplastic B-cell precursors. Leukemic cells from 20 patients with common acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) were highly purified by removing contaminating T cells and monocytes by rosetting with immunomagnetic beads. IL-7 markedly reduced the DNA synthesis in leukemic cells from three patients. This inhibition of DNA synthesis was accompanied by maturation of the cells, as demonstrated by the induced expression of the differentiation antigens CD19, CD20, CDw75, and surface mu-chain, and a decreased expression of terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase. By examining G1 parameters, such as MYC, 4F2, and transferrin-receptor levels analyzed by flow cytometry as well as RNA and the cell cycle regulated antigen Ki67, it appeared that the cells were inhibited late in G1. Leukemic cells from the majority of the cases (12 of the 20 patients) responded to IL-7 with enhanced DNA synthesis without detectable maturation, as has been reported for their normal counterparts. Low molecular weight B-cell growth factor greatly potentiated the IL-7-induced growth stimulation of these cells. Thus, we have shown that IL-7 is capable of inhibiting proliferation of leukemic cells isolated from a subgroup of ALLs, and that this growth inhibition is accompanied by maturation of the cells.