Identification of a subgroup of myelodysplastic patients with a neutrophil stimulation-signalling defect

f-Met-Leu-Phe-stimulated luminol-enhanced chemiluminescence was found to be repeatedly defective in some MDS patients. This defect was not attributed to myeloperoxidase deficiency, nor to a defect in NADPH oxidase function, because PMA chemiluminescence was found to be normal in these individuals. An arbitrary value of 7 mV (half the mean control value) was chosen to subdivide the group: MDS patients with values < 7 mV had a mean f-Met-Leu-Phe chemiluminescence response of 2.5 +/- 0.5 compared to MDS patients with values > 7 mV who had a mean response of 15.6 +/- 1.6 mV, P < 0.01 (healthy controls 14 +/- 2 mV). The characteristics of the f-Met-Leu-Phe receptor and initial calcium flux results suggested that the receptor itself was normal in number and function in low f-Met-Leu-Phe responders. The rate of superoxide generation, which is calcium-dependent, was also found to be in the normal range in low f-Met-Leu-Phe responders, although total superoxide production was reduced in some of these patients. When MDS neutrophils with a low f-Met-Leu-Phe response were stimulated with PMA, chemiluminescence was normal, suggesting normal activity of the NADPH-oxidase complex. Furthermore, myeloperoxidase activity was reduced in only three out of the 11 low f-Met-Leu-Phe responders. Following priming with GM-CSF, f-Met-Leu-Phe chemiluminescence was 27 +/- 1.6 mV in low f-Met-Leu-Phe responders compared to controls (87.7 +/- 11 mV, P < 0.005). Thus, although responses were improved, they were not as marked as in control neutrophils. These data suggest that a subgroup of MDS patients have a low f-Met-Leu-Phe chemiluminescence response which is not due to a defect in the f-Met-Leu-Phe receptor or oxidase activity, and in the majority of cases MPO activity is normal. Initial patient survival data suggest that these patients may have an increased risk of infective mortality. It is proposed that defective f-Met-Leu-Phe chemiluminescence results from a putative defect in cell-signalling mechanism upstream of PKC, and GM-CSF priming only partially improves responsiveness.