The Number of Nucleoli and Main Nucleolar Types in Lymphoblasts of Children Suffering from Acute Lymphoid Leukemia

Abstract

Nucleoli were studied in lymphoblasts of children (untreated with cytostatic therapy) suffering from acute lymphoblastic leukemias (ALL) by means of a simple cytochemical procedure for the demonstration of RNA to provide information on the incidence of the main nucleolar types and the number of nucleoli in these cells. The values of the nucleolar coefficient reflecting the number of nucleoli per lymphoblast ranged between 1.66 and 2.03. The slightly larger values of the nucleolar coefficient in T-ALL were not statistically significant in comparison with those in nonT-ALL. Lymphoblasts in the bone marrow as well as the peripheral blood of both nonT and T-ALL patients mostly contained, “active” (RNA transcribing) large nucleoli with a relatively uniform distribution of RNA. “Inactive” micronucleoli or particularly “resting” ring shaped nucleoli were noted less frequently in these cells. On the other hand, the larger percentage of lymphoblasts determined in specimens stained with the panoptic staining (May-Grünwald-Giemsa) in comparison with that of lymphoblasts with “active nucleoli” in specimens stained for RNA apparently indicates the absence of such nucleoli in some of these cells. These cells might represent ageing, not proliferating, cells the existence of which has been already suggested by previous studies based on a different methodical approach.

Keywords:

• Nucleoli
• lymphoblasts
• acute lymphoid leukemias in children