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B-cell chronic lymphocytic leukemia cells express a surface membrane phenotype of activated, antigen-experienced B

Rajendra N Damle1, Fabio Ghiotto, Angelo Valetto

  • 1North Shore-Long Island Jewish Research Institute, Manhasset, NY 11030, USA.

Blood
|May 16, 2002
PubMed

Insights

B-cell chronic lymphocytic leukemia (B-CLL) cells exhibit characteristics of activated, antigen-experienced B lymphocytes, regardless of V gene mutation status. This suggests diverse antigen exposure histories in different B-CLL subgroups.

Area of Science:

  • Immunology
  • Hematology
  • Oncology

Background:

  • B-cell chronic lymphocytic leukemia (B-CLL) is typically viewed as a disease of resting, antigen-naive CD5(+) B lymphocytes.
  • The precise activation and differentiation state of B-CLL cells remains a subject of investigation.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate whether B-CLL cells display phenotypes consistent with antigen-experienced and activated B cells.
  • To compare the expression of activation and differentiation markers between B-CLL cells and normal B lymphocytes.

Main Methods:

  • Flow cytometry analysis of CD5(+)CD19(+) cells from B-CLL patients and age-matched healthy donors.
  • Assessment of cell surface marker expression, including CD23, CD25, CD69, CD71, CD27, CD22, Fcgamma receptor IIb, CD79b, and immunoglobulin D.
  • Comparison of marker expression between B-CLL subgroups with and without immunoglobulin V gene mutations.

Main Results:

  • Leukemic B-CLL cells universally overexpress activation markers (CD23, CD25, CD69, CD71) and underexpress markers associated with resting B cells (CD22, Fcgamma receptor IIb, CD79b, immunoglobulin D).
  • B-CLL cells uniformly express CD27, a marker associated with memory B cells, indicating an antigen-experienced phenotype.
  • Subgroups of B-CLL patients with and without V gene mutations exhibit distinct marker expression profiles (e.g., CD69, CD71, CD62L, CD40, CD39, HLA-DR), suggesting different antigenic stimulation histories.

Conclusions:

  • All B-CLL cells, irrespective of V gene mutation status, possess phenotypes of activated and antigen-experienced B lymphocytes.
  • Differences in immunoglobulin V genotype correlate with distinct marker expression and likely reflect varied antigen-encounter histories in B-CLL pathogenesis.

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