Terminal Transferase in Immunobiology and Leukemia (Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology, 145)

This book contains the proceedings of a conference devoted to the study of the structure and function of Terminal deoxynucleotidyl Transferase (TdT) and its utilization as biochemical marker in immuno­ biology and leukemia, held in Elba, Italy on May 28-31, 1981. The en­ zyme has been known to nucleic acid biochemists for more than 20 years and has proved to be an excellent tool for making deoxypolymers, label­ ing DNA fragments, and adding homopolymer tails to restriction endonu­ clease fragments from DNA. Since the discovery of its peculiar tissue distribution, normally restricted to the thymus and bone marrow, and of its abnormal occur­ rence in human leukemic lymphoblasts, TdT has become one of the most widely used markers in the study of lymphocyte differentiation and in the classification of hematopoietic neoplasia. The subject seemed most appropriate for a meeting where molecular and cellular biologists, immunologists and hematologists could convene for the first time to discuss both basic research and the clinical aspects of the problem. Among the goals achieved by this workshop was the sharing of in­ formation about the enzymology of TdT, biochemical and immunological methodology and the correlation of TdT with other markers in the diag­ nosis of leukemia. The remarkable accordance of results, presented here by five independent hematological institutions, from analysis of TdT in several thousands of leukemic patients, marks the importance of this enzyme as a diagnostic and prognostic tool in these diseases. Front Matter....Pages i-xii Terminal Transferase: Past to Present....Pages 1-11 Purification of Terminal Deoxynucleotidyl Transferase from Pig Thymus: Identification of 42,000 and 57,000 Dalton Species....Pages 13-18 Purification of Terminal Deoxynucleotidyl Transferase of 60,000 Dalton from Mammalian Thymus and Thymona by Immunoadsorbent Column and Comparison of Peptide Structures....Pages 19-23 Structure of Calf Thymus Terminal Deoxynucleotidyl Transferase....Pages 25-35 Purification and Characterization of Multiple Forms of Terminal Transferase from Human Leukemic Cells....Pages 37-60 Purification and Properties of Chick Terminal Deoxynucleotidyl Transferase (TdT)....Pages 61-73 Restriction Analysis of Cloned Heteropolymeric DNA Synthesized in vitro by TdT....Pages 75-80 Terminal Deoxynucleotidyl Transferase Help DNA Polymerase α Bypass Thymine Dimer....Pages 81-85 Inhibitors of DNA Polymerases: Their Selectivity and Mode of Action....Pages 87-100 Development of Antibodies and Immunological Methods for Terminal Transferase Assay....Pages 101-108 Use of Immunofluorescence Tests for TdT in Human Hematologic Malignancy....Pages 109-114 Ontogeny of Terminal Deoxynucleotidyl Transferase Containing Lymphocytes in Rats and Mice....Pages 115-132 Effects of Biological Response Modifiers on the Growth and Differentiation of Terminal Deoxynucleotidyl Transferase Containing Lymphocytes....Pages 133-155 Murine Thymocyte Subpopulations: Two and Three Parameter Analysis with Various Markers....Pages 157-159 Terminal Transferase Positive Cells in the Human Bone Marrow and Thymus....Pages 161-176 Disappearance of Nuclear TdT in RPMI-8402 Following TPA Treatment....Pages 177-183 Terminal Deoxynucleotidyl Transferase in Human Fetal Tissues....Pages 185-191 Effect of Nucleosides on Human T and B Lymphoblastoid Cell Lines....Pages 193-199 20α-Hydroxysteroid Dehydrogenase (20αSDH) — A New Enzymatic Marker for Pre T and T Lymphocytes....Pages 201-205 Hybrids between Myeloma Cells and Thymocytes — An Attempt to Approach the Biological Function of Terminal Transferase....Pages 207-219 The Bollum Enzyme in Leukemia and Lymphoma Cells: The First Decade....Pages 221-241 Prognostic Significance of Terminal Transferase Activity and other Factors in Childhood Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia....Pages 243-257 The Prognostic Significance of Terminal Deoxynucleotidyl Transferase (TDT) in Patients with Leukemias and Malignant Lymphomas....Pages 259-277 Clinical Relevance of Terminal Transferase and Adenosine Deaminase in Leukemia....Pages 279-303 Studies of Terminal Deoxynucleotidyl Transferase in Normal and Neoplastic Human Cells....Pages 305-320 Nuclear Terminal Deoxynucleotidyl Transferase (Tdt) in Leukemic Infiltrates of Testicular Tissue....Pages 321-330 Phenotypic Changes During Blast Crisis of CML Characterized by Occurrence and Loss of TDT....Pages 331-336 Enrichment of Terminal Deoxynucleotidyl Transferase Activity by Cell Separation....Pages 337-356 TdT-Positive and TdT-Negative Human Leukemic Cells: Specific Density and Morphology....Pages 357-370 Normal Mononuclear Blood Cells in Diffusion Chambers: Occurrence of cALLA and TdT....Pages 371-375 Enzymatic Properties in Pericellular Membranes of Leukemic Cells....Pages 377-384 Back Matter....Pages 385-393