THE MONOCLONAL-ANTIBODY 11G7 RECOGNIZES A NOVEL DIFFERENTIATION ANTIGEN EXPRESSED ON HEMATOPOIETIC PRECURSOR CELLS

A monoclonal antibody (11G7) detecting a novel antigen on human hemopoietic progenitor cells (named 11G7R = 11G7 receptor) was raised by immunization of a Balb/c mouse with the leukemic blasts of a patient suffering from chronic myelogenous leukemia blast crisis (CML-BC). The antigen is expressed on most of MHC class II bearing peripheral blood leucocytes (PBL) and on a subpopulation of bone marrow mononuclear cells (BMMNC). By FACS-sorting and colony assays, it could be demonstrated that 11G7R is expressed on myelo-monocytic and myelo-granulocytic bone marrow precursor cells (GM-CFC, G-CFC, M-CFC) but is absent from erythroid precursor cells (BFU-E) and on cells exhibiting the capacity to form mixed colonies (GEMM-CFC). Double-fluorescence analysis on BMMNC revealed that 11G7R is expressed on a subset of B-cells, myeloid cells and cells carrying the HPCA-1 antigen (CD34). It has a similar distribution pattern to the myeloid antigens CD13 and CD33. However, in contrast to these antigens, 11G7R is also expressed on the blasts of several lymphoid leukemias (4/9 B-ALL, 1/2 T-ALL) and therefore it is not restricted to the myeloid lineage.