Biological behavior and cell properties of new AKR lymphoma malignancy variants

The AKR lymphoma-leukemia is a T lymphocyte neoplasm, most suitable as a model for human T cell malignancies. We have been interested in the process of tumor progression in the AKR lymphoma system. In the present study, two newly isolated variants, the TAU-42 and TAU-44, were characterized with respect to their biological behavior, by comparing them to a previously studied low-malignancy variant, the TAU-39. While the TAU-44 variant formed large s.c. local tumors, the TAU-42 variant formed only small growths or none at all. The TAU-42 lymphoma was found to have the highest malignant potential: it displayed very marked dissemination to spleen, lymph nodes, liver and lungs. The TAU-44 variant had an intermediate degree of metastatic potential but presented a predilection for spread to lymph nodes and spleen and was sometimes found to metastasize to peculiar organs, such as heart and pancreas. Cells derived from the different lymphoma variants varied in their immunophenotype: the highly malignant variant cells expressed more CD4 antigen than the low-malignancy one. The opposite was observed with regard to CD8. The variant cells also differed in their migrating capacity, the more malignant one exhibiting a higher motile activity. Studies on the tumor progression model of AKR lymphoma might contribute to the elucidation of the features determining the aggressiveness of T lymphocytic malignancies.