Unusual intracytoplasmic immunoglobulin inclusions in chronic lymphocytic leukaemia

Unusual intracytoplasmic immunoglobulin inclusions were found by immunofluorescence in three patients with chronic lymphocytic leukaemia. The inclusions contained the same immunoglobulin chains as those detected on the plasma membrane, except for delta chains which were expressed on the cell surface and not in the cytoplasmic inclusions. The cytoplasmic staining persisted throughout culture for 8 or more days. An initial study of patients 1's cells showed that the inclusions contained only mu chains, and kappa chains gradually became apparent after in vitro culture. In a second study, the fresh lymphocytes contained both mu and and kappa chains. Initially, biosynthetic experiments showed production of mu chains which polymerized in the cytoplasm and were not secreted. Subsequently there was synthesis of heavy and light chains which assembled into monomeric subunits that were retained and secretion of free light chains. The apparent molecular weight of these immunoglobulin chains was larger than that of their secretory counterparts. Immunoelectronmicroscopy revealed cytoplasmic mu chains in strands of endoplasmic reticulum. In the two other patients, immunofluorescence displayed unusual staining patterns of bright networks in perinuclear areas.