Related Experiment Video

Updated: Aug 6, 2026

Flow Cytometry to Estimate Leukemia Stem Cells in Primary Acute Myeloid Leukemia and in Patient-derived-xenografts, at Diagnosis and Follow Up
09:01

Flow Cytometry to Estimate Leukemia Stem Cells in Primary Acute Myeloid Leukemia and in Patient-derived-xenografts, at Diagnosis and Follow Up

Published on: March 26, 2018

Evidence for early hematopoietic progenitor cell involvement in acute promyelocytic leukemia

R H Edwards1, M A Wasik, J Finan

  • 1Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Cancer Center Flow Cytometry and Cell Sorting Facility, Philadelphia, USA.

American Journal of Clinical Pathology
|December 10, 1999
PubMed

Insights

Acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL) can express CD34, challenging traditional diagnosis. This study confirms the characteristic t(15;17) translocation in CD34+ APL cells, even primitive ones.

Area of Science:

  • Hematology
  • Molecular Biology
  • Immunophenotyping

Background:

  • Acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL) is a subtype of acute myeloid leukemia.
  • APL cells typically lack CD34 and HLA-DR but express CD33 and CD13.
  • Previous studies have focused on CD34-negative APL phenotypes.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the immunophenotypic features of APL, specifically the expression of CD34.
  • To determine if CD34+ cells in APL harbor the characteristic t(15;17) translocation.
  • To understand the implications of CD34 expression in APL diagnosis and leukemogenesis.

Main Methods:

  • Flow cytometry was used to analyze immunophenotypic features of 17 APL cases.
  • Fluorescence-activated cell sorting combined with fluorescence in situ hybridization (FACS-FISH) was employed.
  • CD34+ populations were further stratified into CD34+ CD38- and CD34+ CD38+ subsets.

Main Results:

  • Seven out of 17 (41%) APL cases exhibited significant subsets of CD34+ leukemic cells.
  • The t(15;17) translocation, characteristic of APL, was confirmed in CD34+ cells using FACS-FISH.
  • The t(15;17) translocation was present in both primitive (CD34+ CD38-) and committed (CD34+ CD38+) progenitor cell subpopulations.

Conclusions:

  • APL diagnosis should consider the possibility of CD34 expression.
  • The presence of the t(15;17) translocation in CD34+ cells, including primitive progenitors, is confirmed.
  • The leukemogenic mutation in APL may originate in primitive hematopoietic progenitor cells.

More Related Videos

Proliferation and Differentiation of Murine Myeloid Precursor 32D/G-CSF-R Cells10:21

Proliferation and Differentiation of Murine Myeloid Precursor 32D/G-CSF-R Cells

Published on: February 21, 2018

Use of Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation to Assess the Origin of Myelodysplastic Syndrome06:39

Use of Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation to Assess the Origin of Myelodysplastic Syndrome

Published on: October 3, 2018

Related Concept Videos

Hematopoiesis01:21

Hematopoiesis

The process of blood cell formation is called hematopoiesis. Hematopoiesis starts early during development, on the seventh day of embryogenesis. This phase of hematopoiesis is called the primitive wave, wherein the extraembryonic yolk sac allows the production of erythroid cells and endothelial cells from a common precursor called hemangioblast. The erythroid cells provide oxygen to support the growth of the rapidly dividing embryo. Hemangioblasts later develop into hematopoietic stem cells or...
Multipotency of Hematopoietic Stem Cells01:19

Multipotency of Hematopoietic Stem Cells

The hematopoietic stem cells or HSCs are multipotent, meaning they can differentiate and give rise to all blood and immune cells. HSCs are maintained in the quiescent stage until an external stimulus initiates their differentiation. The multipotent HSCs exist as two heterogeneous populations, long-term repopulating cells (LTRC) and short-term repopulating cells (STRC). The two HSC populations have different surface markers or receptors and are classified based on quiescence and long-term...
Lineage Commitment01:21

Lineage Commitment

Commitment is the  process whereby stem cells:
Differentiation of Common Myeloid Progenitor Cells01:15

Differentiation of Common Myeloid Progenitor Cells

Common myeloid progenitors (CMPs) are oligopotent cells that can differentiate into granulocytes and macrophages. Granulocytes and macrophages are essential for protecting the body against bacterial, viral, or fungal infections. They migrate from the bone marrow into the circulating blood to reach specific tissue sites where they differentiate and help in immune surveillance. However, they survive only for a few days and must be continuously made available to the organism to maintain a robust...
Regulation of Hematopoietic Stem Cells01:01

Regulation of Hematopoietic Stem Cells

All blood and immune cells are produced from the multipotent hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) by the process of hematopoiesis. However, they all have a limited life span. In addition, many are depleted in immune surveillance or combatting an injury or infection. This makes blood one of the most regenerative tissues. Hematopoiesis helps replenish these blood and immune cells, restoring the body's normal functioning. However, overproduction of blood and immune cells can make them cancerous or...
Production of Formed Elements01:34

Production of Formed Elements

Hemangioblasts are multipotent stem cells originating from the mesoderm. They give rise to hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs), which undergo hematopoiesis to produce all the formed elements of blood. This process is regulated by a complex network of hematopoietic growth factors, including transcription factors, growth factors, and cytokines. These factors stimulate the HSCs to divide and differentiate, though some HSCs remain undifferentiated to maintain a self-renewing pool.
Most HSCs commit to...