Molecular histogenesis of posttransplantation lymphoproliferative disorders

Posttransplantation lymphoproliferative disorders (PTLDs) represent a serious complication of solid organ transplantation. This study assessed the molecular histogenesis of 52 B-cell monoclonal PTLDs, including 12 polymorphic PTLDs (P-PTLDs), 36 diffuse large B-cell lymphomas (DLBCLs), and 4 Burkitt/Burkitt-like lymphomas (BL/BLLs). Somatic hypermutation (SHM) of immunoglobulin variable (IgV) genes documented that most monoclonal B-cell PTLDs (75% P-PTLDs, 91.3% DLBCLs, 100% BL/BLLs) derive from germinal center (GC)-experienced B cells. B-cell lymphoma 6 (BCL6) mutations occurred in 25% P-PTLDs, 60.6% DLBCLs, and 75.0% BL/BLLs. A first histogenetic category of PTLDs (31.2% DLBCLs) express the BCL6+/multiple myeloma oncogene-1 protein (MUM1-/+)/CD138- profile and mimic B cells experiencing the GC reaction, as also suggested by ongoing SHM in a fraction of these cases. A second subset of PTLDs (66.7% P-PTLDs and 31.2% DLBCLs) display the BCL6-/MUM1+/CD138- phenotype and mimic B cells that have concluded the GC reaction. A third histogenetic category of PTLDs (25.0% P-PTLDs and 31.2% DLBCLs) shows the BCL6-/MUM1+/CD138+ profile, consistent with preterminally differentiated post-GC B cells. Crippling mutations of IgV heavy chain (IgVH) and/or IgV light chain (IgVL) genes, leading to sterile rearrangements and normally preventing cell survival, occur in 4 DLBCLs and 1 BL/BLL that may have been rescued from apoptosis through expression of Epstein-Barr virus (EBV)-encoded latent membrane protein 1 (LMP1). Overall, the histogenetic diversity of monoclonal B-cell PTLDs may help define biologically homogeneous categories of the disease.