[Ribosome content, spontaneous damage and repairing DNA synthesis in patients with chronic B-lymphocytic leukemia depending on stage and form of disease].

Abstract

The ribosome content (84 patients), DNA alkaline-labile sites or strand breaks (21 patients) and unscheduled DNA synthesis in lymphocytes under normal and B-cell chronic lymphocytic leukemia (B-CLL) were studied. It has been shown that the alkaline-labile DNA damages increased about 3-5 fold while the ribosome content was normal at an early (corresponding to Rai's O-I stages) and an advanced (II-III stages by Rai) stages of B-CLL. In the course of B-CLL, the DNA strand breaks and number of ribosomes per cell decreased with the correlation coefficient r = 0.72. The slowing down of the unscheduled DNA synthesis at the advanced and terminal (IV stage by Rai) B-CLL stages does not correlate with the DNA strand breaks. In the advanced stage with its established clinical variability of forms, when an adequate treatment was necessary, the lymphocyte ribosome levels drop following the expansion of main compartments involved by the leukemic spread.