Expression of the immunoglobulin superfamily cell membrane adhesion molecule Cd146 in acute leukemia
Francesco Cavazzini1, Diana Campioni1, Luisa Ferrari1
1Section of Hematology, University-S.Anna Hospital, Ferrara, Italy.
Insights
CD146 is expressed in acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) but rarely in acute myeloid leukemia (AML). This finding suggests CD146 can aid in diagnosing ALL and monitoring minimal residual disease.
Area of Science:
- Immunology
- Oncology
- Hematology
Background:
- CD146 is a cell adhesion molecule expressed on various human cells.
- Its expression in acute leukemia has not been extensively studied.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the expression of CD146 in acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL).
- To evaluate CD146 as a potential diagnostic and monitoring marker in acute leukemia.
Main Methods:
- Multiparametric cytofluorimetric analysis of peripheral blood and bone marrow samples.
- Study included 162 patients with AML (n=121) and ALL (n=41), including B-ALL and T-ALL subtypes.
- Comparison with 10 healthy controls.
Main Results:
- CD146 was expressed in 3.3% of AML, 36.8% of B-ALL, and 66.6% of T-ALL cases.
- No CD146 expression was detected in healthy controls.
- CD146 expression in B-ALL was associated with specific immunophenotypes (BII, BIII) and strongly correlated with Philadelphia chromosome positivity (Ph+).
Conclusions:
- CD146 is frequently expressed in T-ALL and Ph+ B-ALL, but rarely in AML.
- CD146 may serve as a valuable marker for diagnosing ALL.
- CD146 expression can potentially be used for monitoring minimal residual disease in CD146-positive ALL cases.
Background:
The expression of the immunoglobulin superfamily cell membrane adhesion molecule CD146 has been reported on several normal and pathological cell types in human. The aim of this study was to investigate CD146 expression in acute leukemia using a multiparametric cytofluorimetric approach.
Methods:
Cytofluorimetric and cytogenetic studies were performed on peripheral blood and bone marrow samples from 162 patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML, n = 121) and acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL, n = 41). ALL patients were subdivided in B-ALL (n = 38) and T-ALL (n = 3). Adult (n = 18) and pediatric (n = 20) B-ALL were considered as a whole group.
Results:
Four out of 121 (3.3%) AML cases, 14/38 (36.8%) B-ALL, and 2/3 (66.6%) T-ALL expressed CD146 on 12-98% of blasts (p < 0.001). CD146 expression was not observed in 10 healthy controls. Among B-ALL CD146-positive cases, 78.6% were associated with a "common"/BII-ALL and 21.4% with a pre-B/BIII-ALL immunophenotype while pro-B/BI-ALL and mature-B/BIV-ALL cases were CD146-negative. Statistical analysis showed CD146 expression strongly associated with Ph+ positivity in B-ALL with the highest percentage of CD146-positive blasts in all Ph-positive B-ALL cases (84 ± 22% Ph-positive B-ALL SD vs. 40 ± 24% SD in Ph-negative B-ALL; p < 0,001).
Conclusion:
In our series, CD146 was expressed in all cases of Ph-positive B-ALL and in the vast majority of T-ALL, whereas it was rarely expressed by AML blasts. We suggest that CD146 may be considered as an additional marker for acute lymphoblastic leukemia diagnosis and monitoring of minimal residual disease in those cases which are CD146-positive at diagnosis. © 2015 International Clinical Cytometry Society.
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