Estrogen and progesterone receptors in some human myeloma cell lines and murine hybridomas.

The control of immune responses by sex hormones is well documented but the effect of sex hormones on lymphoid cell subsets is poorly understood. We have investigated the expression of receptors for androgens (AR), estradiol (ER) and progesterone (PR) by human cell lines of the B lymphocyte lineage and by murine myeloma or hybridomas. AR, ER and PR were determined by cytosol and nuclear binding assays.

Distribution of androgen and estrogen receptors among lymphoid and haemopoietic cell lines.

Estrogen receptors (ER) and androgen receptors (AR) were determined in a series of 23 leukemia or lymphoma cell lines including 8 T-cell lines, 12 B-cell lines, and 3 non lymphoid cell lines. The phenotypic characterization of these cells by currently available immunological markers provides an estimate of their stage of differentiation. The result indicate that none of the investigated cell lines bear simultaneously ER and AR.

Characterization of a specific androgen receptor in non-Hodgkin's lymphoma cells.

The use of a competitive binding assay has permitted us to detect a cytoplasmic androgen receptor in cells of node biopsies of several patients suffering from non-Hodgkin's malignant lymphomas (NHML). These same cells appear to contain very low or undetectable numbers of estrogen receptor. The androgen receptors are saturated at approximately 2 X 10(-10) M [3H] 5 alpha DHT and Scatchard analyses of the binding data indicated a high affinity constant (Kd = 0.

Sex steroid receptors in peripheral T cells: absence of androgen receptors and restriction of estrogen receptors to OKT8-positive cells.

The immune response has been reported to be modulated by sex hormones in several models, and estrogen receptors have been demonstrated in the human thymus. We therefore investigated the presence of estrogen and androgen receptors among human peripheral T cells; thoracic duct lymph provided large amounts of circulating lymphocytes. Pure T cells were obtained by negative selection by using complement-dependent cytotoxicity with a monoclonal antibody against a monomorphic determinant of class II histocompatibility antigen (HLA-DR).

Specific estrogen binding sites in human lymphoid cells and thymic cells.

The binding of estrogen in preparations of human peripheral blood mononuclear cells, as well as by splenic and thymic cells is demonstrated by three different approaches (Dextran-coated charcoal method, whole cell assay, and gel filtration on a sepharose 4B column). Scatchard's analysis of [3H]-moxestrol (R2858) and [3H]-estradiol binding proves the existence of a single class of receptor sites having a dissociation constant of 0.18-2.

Presence of estrogen binding sites and growth-stimulating effect of estradiol in the human myelogenous cell line HL60.

In the present study, we investigated the effects of estrogens on the growth of the HL60 line in vitro and the presence of estrogen binding sites in the same cells. Cell proliferation was estimated by cell counts, [3H]thymidine incorporation, and determination of the percentage of cells in the S phase by flow cytometry. Cells maintained in a medium containing physiological concentrations of estradiol (10(-9) M, 10(-8) M, 10(-7) M) exhibited a growth stimulation, shown by an increase in the percentage of cells in the S phase, whereas a pharmacological concentration (10(-6) M) produced a growth inhibition.

Androgen, estrogen and progestin binding sites in human leukemic cells.

Sex steroid binding capacity was investigated in malignant cells from 32 patients with acute non-lymphoblastic leukemia (25 patients with acute myeloid leukemia, 4 with subacute leukemia, 3 with chronic myeloid leukemia in blast crisis) and 30 patients with acute lymphoblastic leukemia. Specific binding of labelled steroids was characterized either by competition assay in cytosol fraction or by whole-cell incorporation. In some cases further characterization of the receptor complex was attempted by sucrose gradient centrifugation and gel filtration column.

Effect of physiological concentrations of sex hormones on the formation of "early" sheep red blood cell rosettes by human lymphocytes. Possible relations with the presence of sex-hormone-cytosol-receptors in lymphocytes.

The formation of "early" sheep red blood cell rosettes by normal human peripheral blood lymphocytes was increased by incubation with physiological concentration of 17 beta-Estradiol. This effect was shown to be hormone specific. Whole cell incorporation of radioactive hormones and analysis by gel filtration of cytosols incubated with labeled hormones have shown a saturable fixation of estrogens and androgens.