Expression of the Aminopeptidase N (CD13) Gene in the Human T Cell Lines HuT78 and H9

The membrane-bound metalloprotease aminopeptidase N (APN, CD13, EC 3.4.11.2) is a well-established marker of normal and malignant cells of the myelomonocytic lineages. It is also expressed by leukemic blasts of a small group of patients suffering from acute or chronic lymphoid leukemia. CD13-specific monoclonal antibodies do not bind to the surface of normal B lymphocytes and APN-mRNA was not detectable by Northern analysis in normal lymphocytes or in T cell lines. A recent paper, however, describes the expression of CD13 on concanavalin A-stimulated T cells. Here, by means of enzymatic amplification of cDNA, cloning and sequencing of amplified cDNA fragments, in situ hybridization, and transcription start site mapping, evidence is provided that the human T cell lines HuT78 and H9 do contain APN-mRNA. Ala-pNA-hydrolyzing activity was detected in viable cells and cell homogenates as well as in size-fractionated protein fractions. Alanine-β-naphthylamide (Ala-βNA)-hydrolyzing activity was readily detectable after isoelectric focusing and blotting and was shown to be localized exclusively intracellularly in both cell lines. Usage of aminopeptidase-specific effectors revealed this activity to be distinct from CD13.