CD71 (transferrin receptor): an effective marker for erythroid precursors in bone marrow biopsy specimens

Accurate analysis of the erythroid lineage is essential in evaluating bone marrow biopsy specimens and can be particularly challenging in the setting of dyserythropoiesis. Transferrin receptor (CD71) mediates the uptake of transferrin-iron complexes and is highly expressed on the surface of cells of the erythroid lineage. Although CD71 has been used for flow cytometric analysis, its usefulness in paraffin-embedded bone marrow biopsy specimens has not been examined. This study defined the immunohistochemical profile of CD71, as compared with glycophorin A (CD235a) and hemoglobin, in 65 bone marrow biopsy specimens, including normal marrow specimens and cases of myelodysplastic syndrome, acute myeloid leukemia, acute lymphoblastic leukemia, plasma cell neoplasm, and metastatic carcinoma. Immunoreactivity for CD71 was restricted to erythroid precursors in normal and dyspoietic marrow samples and exhibited a membranous and cytoplasmic staining pattern. The vast majority of mature erythrocytes lack expression of CD71, greatly facilitating interpretation. CD71 is a highly effective marker for the detection of cells of erythroid lineage in bone marrow biopsy specimens.