Stem-cell leukemia: p53 deficiency mediated suppression of leukemic differentiation in C3H/He myeloid leukemia

C3H/He mice produce myeloid leukemias after whole body irradiation of 1–3 Gy as compared with non-irradiated controls that produce fewer than 1% of leukemia [Radiatiton Research 127 (1991) 146]. Thus, p53-deficient C57BL/6 strain, a malignant lymphoma prone, was crossed back into C3H/He strain. Lethally irradiated wild-type mice to which p53-deficient bone marrow cells were transplanted (transplantation assay) showed dramatic change in the propensity of leukemia of myeloid lineages, the cells lacking CD3, Thy1.2, sIgM, B220, Mac-1, Gr-1, but being positive for c-Kit and CD44. Furthermore, transplanted mice subjected to 3 Gy irradiation gave rise to a faster development of leukemia and a higher frequency of double-lineage leukemias than the non-irradiated control.