[Circulating cell differentiation antigens as markers of activity in lymphoproliferative diseases]

The presence of soluble differentiation antigens has been recently shown in the sera of healthy subjects and in different pathological disorders. These soluble antigens represent truncated froms of membrane receptors that lack transmembrane and intracytoplasmic domains. They may rise from proteolytic cleavage of the original membrane-bound receptor or by synthesis from separate alternatively spliced mRNA's coding for soluble forms. Increased levels of soluble IL-2R, sCD8 were found in adult T cell leukemia, hairy cell leukemia Hodgkin's disease, non-Hodgkin's lymphoma and chronic lymphocytic leukemia. The presence of sCD30 was found in the above mentioned diseases except for hairy cell leukemia. Serum levels of sIL-2R, sCD8, sCD30 antigens correlated strictly with disease activity and results of treatment.