Mouse Red‐Cell Rosettes in B‐Lymphoproliferative Disorders

Abstract

A high proportion of peripheral-blood lymphocytes formed spontaneous rosettes with mouse red cells in 22 out of 23 cases of chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL); the proportion was significantly higher than in 19 cases of other B-lymphoproliferative disorders (non-CLL group) and in 19 normal controls. Intermediate findings were obtained in 10 cases of "hairy" cell leukaemia. Blast cells from various types of acute leukaemia did not bind mouse red cells. Pre-treatment of the lymphocytes with neuraminidase led to a significant increase in the proportion of rosettes in CLL only. This test may prove useful in distinguishing CLL from other B-lymphoproliferative disorders, particularly prolymphocytic leukaemia.

Significance of Mouse Red Cell Rosette-Forming Lymphocytes in Chronic Lymphocytic Leukaemia

“…In untreated subjects the rosette-forming lymphocytes were significantly higher than in patients receiving therapy and both were higher than in normal individuals. This supports the suggestion of Catovsky et al [2] and M illard [11] that this parameter can be valuable in diagnosis. We were unable to substantiate the findings of Beaumariage and F ocan [1] who studied the ratio of M to T rosette forming cells.…”

Human CD5‐positive B Cells in lymphoid malignancy and connective tissue diseases

“…CD5 expression, which was subsequently confirmed using MAb, can, at least partly, account for this early observation [10][11][12][13]. Using another approach, rosetting with mouse erythrocytes proved to be an exclusive property of 10% of B lymphocytes [14], and ensuing studies showed increased numbers of mouse erythrocytes-rosette forming cells (MER) in the peripheral blood (PB) of patients with chronic leukaemia of the B cell type [15]. These findings suggest that CD5+B cells and MER are overlapping, if not identical, lymphocyte populations [6,16].…”

The incidence of B cell leukaemia and lymphopenia in B cell neoplasia in adults: A study using the Kiel classification of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma

“…Catovsky et al (1979) report higher proportions of cells binding to mouse cells in B CLL than we have found. This probably reflects the use of neuraminidase pretreatment of cells before rosetting which has been reported as selectively increasing mouse rosettes in CLL (Catovsky et al, 1976). Mouse rosette binding has been reported not to be a feature of prolymphocytic leukaemia (Catovsky et al, 1979).…”