Phorbol ester induces interleukin-2 receptor on the cell surface of precursor thymocyte leukemia with no rearrangement of T cell receptor beta and gamma genes.
Monoclonal antibodies specific for the interleukin-2 receptor are being evaluated in the treatment of HTLV-I-induced leukemias and other conditions involving the inappropriate function of activated T cells.
Interleukin 2 (IL 2) receptor (IL 2-R) is constitutively expressed on T cell lines established from the patients with adult T cell leukemia (ATL), which is a human T cell leukemia lymphoma virus (HTLV-1)(+) T4(+)-leukemia endemic in Japan, the United States, and other countries.