The acute lymphoblastic leukaemia cell line SEM with t(4;11) chromosomal rearrangement is biphenotypic and responsive to interleukin-7.

A cell line, designated SEM, was established from the peripheral blood of a 5-year-old girl in relapse with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL). Both the lymphoblasts of the patient and the cells of the cell line SEM showed the t(4;11) chromosomal rearrangement. The analysis of the immunophenotype of the SEM cell line revealed the B-cell differentiation antigens CD19, CD22 and CDw75 in the absence of CD20, CD24 and immunoglobulin expression. Besides B-lineage antigens, SEM cells were positive for the myeloid antigens CD13, CD15, CD33 and CDw65. Immunogenotypic analysis of SEM cells showed a monoclonal rearrangement of immunoglobulin heavy-chain (IgH). T-cell receptor (TCR) gamma and delta genes. Addition of interleukin (IL)-7 promoted the growth of the patient's lymphoblasts in culture and enhanced the proliferation of SEM cells. The SEM cells also express messenger RNA (mRNA) for the IL-7 receptor (IL-7R), but no evidence for autocrine production of IL-7 by the cell line was found. Addition of IL-4, tumour necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha, interferon (IFN)-alpha, or IFN-gamma resulted in a profound inhibition of SEM growth. Thus, these cytokines may have important growth regulatory activities for biphenotypic leukaemic ALL cells.