Human leukemia associated anti nuclear reactivity

A brilliant, coarsely granular nuclear antigen was detected by anti complement immunofluorescence in the nuclei of acute myeloid leukemia myeloblasts. Designated as LANA (leukemia associated nuclear antigen), the reactivity differs from that of the Epstein Barr virus determined nuclear antigen (EBNA) in immunological specificity and morphological appearance although it is visualized by the same method. Serum from acute myeloid leukemia patients gave positive reactions in 73% of the cases. In acute lymphatic leukemia, chronic myeloid leukemia, chronic lymphatic leukemia, and Burkitt's lymphoma the sera were positive in 35, 14, 19, and 24%, respectively. Two of 5 polycythemia and 2 of 11 myeloma sera were also positive. Among 61 healthy controls, 58 were negative, whereas 3 showed a diffuse nuclear staining with a different pattern. Among 24 carcinoma patients, 18 were negative, whereas 6 gave a nuclear staining with a different, diffuse pattern. Sera from 20 patients who had recovered from infectious mononucleosis were all negative. In addition to the blasts of acute myeloid leukemia, a similar reactivity was seen with two Epstein Barr virus DNA and EBNA negative African lymphoma biopsies and in a short lived tissue culture line derived from one of them. LANA could be a fetal or tissue specific antigen, a virally determined antigen, or a specific form of anti nuclear reactivity.