Hematopoietic stem cell aging and chronic lymphocytic leukemia pathogenesis

Human malignancies develop through the multistep acquisition of critical somatic mutations during the clinical course. Regarding hematological malignancies, recent novel findings have indicated that hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs), which have the potential to self-renew and differentiate into multilineage hematopoietic cells, are an important cellular target for the accumulation of critical somatic mutations and play a central role in myeloid malignancy development. In contrast to myeloid malignancies, mature lymphoid malignancies, such as chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), are considered to directly originate from differentiated mature lymphocytes; however, we previously reported that the propensity to generate clonal B cells had already been acquired at the HSC stage in CLL patients. Similarly, HSC involvement has been reported in the pathogenesis of mature T cell lymphomas. These studies indicate that, in mature lymphoid, if not all, malignancies, HSCs should be considered as the critical cellular target in the oncogenic process. The prevalence of these hematological malignancies dramatically increases with age, and the effect of aging HSCs should thus be taken into account when investigating the stepwise malignant transformation process of these age-associated malignancies.