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It is well documented that responses to growth factor treat-

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CD34 most probably acts as a receptor molecule on hematopoietic progenitor cells; however, its precise function remains to be elucidated. To track the intracellular pathway of CD34 after binding of a stimulatory antibody (anti-HPCA-1), immuno-electron microscopical analysis was performed on cells of normal bone marrow (NBMPC), acute leukemias, and the KG1a cell line. Before stimulation, CD34 was evenly distributed over the cell surface. After binding of the anti-HPCA-1, but not the anti-HPCA-2 antibody to CD34 and labeling with 30-nm immunogold, a rapid capping of CD34 and a subsequent internalization from the cell surface via clathrin-coated pits and coated vesicles was observed. The percentage of internalized CD34/immunogold complexes ranged from 8 to 80% in the NBMPC and the leukemic blasts, whereas KG1a cells showed an internalization rate of only 0.42%. Moreover, in the KG1a cells, the CD34/immunogold complexes were not associated with the coated pits. These differences in CD34 internalization did not correlate to the mRNA expression for the full-length or truncated CD34 assessed by isotype-specific real-time PCR. Taken together, evidence was found that CD34 is a surface receptor molecule that is modulated by receptor-mediated endocytosis. CD34 on KG1a cells appears to have a functional and/or structural defect, preventing modulation of this epitope.

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