Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 7, 2026
Comprehensive DNA Methylation Analysis Using a Methyl-CpG-binding Domain Capture-based Method in Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia Patients
Published on: June 16, 2017
Co-expression of CCR7 and H3K9me3 identifies aggressive B-cell lymphoma with bone marrow infiltration and poor
Jiawen Chen1, Zelin Liu1, Keke Huang1
1Department of Hematology, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei, China.
Objectives:
B-cell lymphoma exhibits significant clinical heterogeneity, necessitating improved biomarkers for risk stratification. C-C chemokine receptor 7 (CCR7) and trimethylation of histone H3 lysine 9 (H3K9me3) are implicated in cellular senescence and tumor invasion. While the clinical significance of their co-expression in lymphomagenesis remains unclear. This study aims to define the expression profiles of CCR7 and H3K9me3 in B-cell lymphoma, explore their correlation with aggressive clinical indicators, and evaluate their combined prognostic value.
Methods:
The expression of CCR7 and H3K9me3 in tumor tissues from B-cell lymphoma patients was analyzed by immunohistochemical (IHC) double-staining. The mechanistic association between the two was verified by co-immunoprecipitation assays and Western blot (WB) experiments detecting changes in cellular H3K9me3 levels following CCR7 ligand stimulation. The association between co-expression and patient clinical parameters, tumor burden, and progression-free survival (PFS) was evaluated through correlation analysis, Kaplan-Meier survival curves, and Cox regression analysis.
Results:
H3K9me3 expression was predominantly nuclear, whereas CCR7 was expressed on the cell membrane. Both markers were significantly upregulated in aggressive lymphomas and positively correlated with LDH, β2-microglobulin, and neutrophil percentage. An interaction between CCR7 and H3K9me3 could be demonstrated in that CCR7 ligand stimulation resulted in an upregulation of H3K9me3 expression. Enhanced H3K9me3 expression was associated with bone marrow infiltration. High expression of CCR7 was associated with poorer progression-free survival (PFS), whereas high expression of both CCR7 and H3K9me3 identified patients with the worst prognosis. Univariate and multivariate Cox regression analysis indicated that the combined expression was a potential prognostic biomarker for B-cell lymphoma.
Conclusion:
Co-elevated CCR7 and H3K9me3 expression defines a high-risk B-cell lymphoma subgroup with high tumor burden, bone marrow infiltration, and poor prognosis, highlighting their potential as biomarkers for risk stratification and candidate therapeutic targeting.
