Objective: To evaluate the clinical characteristics of T-cell acute leukemia/lymphoma (T-ALL) and explore the prognosis significance of early T-cell precursor leukemia/lymphoma. Methods: A cohort of 126 patients diagnosed with T-ALL from 2008 to 2014 in West China Hospital, Sichuan University were enrolled in this study. They were further categorized by immunophenotype according to the expression of T-cell lineage markers CD1a, CD8, CD5 and one or more stem cell or myeloid markers. The laboratory indicators and prognosis factors were also statistically analyzed. Results: Of all patients, the ratio of male to female was 2.5∶1, with the median age of 25 years old (range 14 to 77) . The percentage of ETP-ALL was up to 47.6%. T-ALL patients showed higher ratio in first clinical remission rate (CR(1)) than T-LBL ones (64.4% vs 30.8%, P=0.032) . Group with WBC count higher than 50×10(9)/L at presentation showed higher ration of achieving CR(1) than those lower than 50×10(9)/L (78.4% vs 50.9%, P=0.010) . In comparison with the non-ETP-ALL, ETP-ALL patients had older age of onset (P<0.001) , lower WBC count (P<0.001) , lower risk of CNS involvement (10.0% vs 30.2%, P=0.009) and slightly inferior overall survival (P=0.073) . T-cell lineage markers CD1a(-), CD8(-) and CD4(-) positive patients had higher CR(1) than their corresponding negative ones (P=0.002, P=0.000, P=0.001) , while CD33(-) and CD56(-) positive patients had lower ratio of achieving CR(1) than their negative ones, respectively (P=0.035, P=0.035) . Conclusion: Flow cytometry and associated markers for immunophenotyping was of significance in the diagnosis and prognosis monitoring of T-ALL/LBL. The percentage of ETP-ALL/LBL subtype was high in Chinese adolescent and adult T-ALL patients. ETP-ALL/LBL was a high risk subtype, which needs more precise standard for diagnosis and advanced therapies for better outcome.
Adolescent ; Adult ; Aged ; China ; Female ; Humans ; Immunophenotyping ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Precursor Cells, T-Lymphoid/cytology* ; Precursor T-Cell Lymphoblastic Leukemia-Lymphoma/diagnosis* ; Prognosis ; Young Adult

OBJECTIVETo study the effect of rapamycin in inducing naïve murine effector T cell (Teff) convert to regulatory T cell (Treg) in vitro.

METHODSThe forkhead box protein 3 (FoxP3) negative Teff were isolated and purified from the spleen and lymph node of C57 BL/6 murines aged 6-8 weeks, then Teff were cultured in three groups with mature dendritic cells (mDC), B cells, and plate coated Anti-CD3. In addition, the control wells and the test wells were prepared in each group, rapamycin were not added in the control wells but added in the test wells with concentrations of 1, 10, 50, and 100 nmol/L. Percentages of FoxP3 positive Treg were examined by flow cytometry after 4 days in Anti-CD3 group and after 6 days in the other two groups.

RESULTSAs shown by the flow cytometry, the percentages of FoxP3 positive Treg were as follows in three group: in the mDC group, it was 0.01% in the control well and 0.39%, 0.47%, 0.34%, and 0.26% in test wells; in B cell group, it was 0.01% in the control wells and 5.56%, 5.89%, 7.15%, and 4.72% in the test wells; in Anti-CD3 group, it was 0.93% in the control wells and 1.35%, 1.07%, 1.02%, and 1.19% in test wells. No significant difference was found between the test wells and control wells in the mDC group and Anti-CD3 group; however, the percentages of FoxP3 positive Treg was significantly different between the test wells and control wells in the B cell group (P < 0.01).

CONCLUSIONWhen B cell is acted as the antigen-presenting cell, rapamycin can effectively induce Teff convert to Treg in vitro.

Animals ; B-Lymphocytes ; cytology ; drug effects ; immunology ; Cell Differentiation ; drug effects ; Cells, Cultured ; Dendritic Cells ; cytology ; drug effects ; immunology ; Flow Cytometry ; Forkhead Transcription Factors ; immunology ; Mice ; Mice, Inbred C57BL ; Mice, Inbred DBA ; Precursor Cells, T-Lymphoid ; cytology ; drug effects ; immunology ; Sirolimus ; pharmacology ; T-Lymphocyte Subsets ; cytology ; drug effects ; immunology ; T-Lymphocytes, Regulatory ; cytology ; drug effects ; immunology