Surface glycoproteins as markers of the cellular status of B chronic lymphocytic leukaemia lymphocytes.

The phenotype of B CLL cells is investigated with respect to their surface glycoproteins. These glycoproteins are identified by vectorial tritiation followed by 1 and 2 dimensional gel electrophoresis, and by lectin and MoAb binding using immunoprecipitation and flow cytometry. The profiles of the CLL cells are compared with those of normal B cells, prepared from tonsils, and T cells from peripheral blood. The CLL cells show many similarities with T cells, particularly the expression of glycoproteins which bind the MoAbs gpL 115, F10-44-2 and EZB 52, and a complex set of binding sites for Helix pomatia lectin. The significance of these observations in terms of the cellular origins of the leukaemic lymphocytes is discussed.