Biochemical, morphological, and immunological observations of leukemic reticuloendotheliosis.

This study reports the biochemical, immunological, and morphological characteristics of the abnormal mononuclear cells from four patients with leukemic reticuloendotheliosis. Two patients had a homogeneous population of mononuclear cells with elevated thymidine incorporation, normal uridine incorporation, suboptimal or delayed response to phytohemagglutinin and a characteristic ultrastructure. Glucose utilization by these cells was somewhat greater than that by normal lymphocytes, but considerably less than that by normal monocytes and macrophages. The leukemic cells from both of these patients had surface-bound immunoglobulin. In contrast, the disease of the other two patients was characterized by a heterogeneous population of mononuclear cells with normal thymidine and uridine incorporation, normal or increased response to phytohemagglutinin, and a paucity of surfacebound immunoglobulin. All four patients had low levels of serum muramidase. The aforementioned two patients had elevated leukocyte counts while the latter two patients had normal or low values. Attempts to establish long-term cultures were unsuccessful. All four patients appeared to have lymphoproliferative processes.