Terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase activity in acute leukemia: a study of 100 cases comparing an immunoperoxidase (PAP) vs immunofluorescent method.

Abstract

A comparison between the immunofluorescent (IF) method for terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase (TdT) activity and the immunoperoxidase (IP) method by peroxidase-anti-peroxidase (PAP) technique was done for 100 cases of acute leukemia. For the acute lymphoblastic leukemias (ALL) there was agreement in 93% of the cases. However, the IP method detected 51/55 (93%) TdT+ cases versus 47/55 (85%) by the IF method. For the acute nonlymphocytic leukemias (ANLL), there was an agreement in 89% of the cases. The IP method detected 8/36 (22%) TdT-positive cases while IF detected 4/36 (11%) positive cases. If a figure of 10% TdT+ cells is considered significant in the marrow of the ANLLs, then the IP method would detect eight additional cases for a total of 16/36 (44%) TdT+ cases. This latter figure questions the ability of the IP TdT assay as a single test adequately to determine the lineage of a cell line. It may be rather that TdT is a marker that is expressed in a stem cell.

• Authors: J R Krause, J P Brody, S S Kaplan, L Penchansky
• Journal: American journal of hematology (Am J Hematol) Vol. 22 Issue 2 Pg. 179-84 (Jun 1986) ISSN: 0361-8609 [Print] United States
• PMID: 3518417 (Publication Type: Comparative Study, Journal Article)

Chemical References

• DNA Nucleotidyltransferases
• DNA Nucleotidylexotransferase

Topics

• Acute Disease
• DNA Nucleotidylexotransferase (analysis)
• DNA Nucleotidyltransferases (analysis)
• Fluorescent Antibody Technique
• Humans
• Immunoenzyme Techniques
• Leukemia (enzymology)
• Leukemia, Lymphoid (enzymology)