Lack of A563G (I188V) missense mutation in RIZ/ PRDM2 in human diffuse large B-cell lymphomas.
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Biomedical subjects
Publications and source records attributed to Amy Chadburn.
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Kaposi sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV) causes Kaposi sarcoma and is also associated with primary effusion lymphoma, a subset of diffuse large B-cell lymphomas, and multicentric Castleman disease. Because KSHV infection is endemic in sub-Saharan Africa, we sought to identify cases of KSHV-positive non-Hodgkin lymphomas (NHLs) and reactive lymphadenopathy in this region. One hundred forty-four cases (80 NHLs, 64 reactive lymph nodes) from the major pathology laboratory in Uganda were reviewed. One NHL was KSHV-positive, as indicated by staining for the viral latent nuclear antigen. This NHL was a diffuse large B-cell lymphoma in a 5-year-old boy. The tumor was also Epstein-Barr virus-positive. In addition, 2 reactive lymph nodes, both classified histologically as follicular involution, stained KSHV latent nuclear antigen-positive and thus most likely represent multicentric Castleman disease. In all 3 KSHV-positive cases, a minority of cells expressed KSHV viral interleukin 6, a biologically active cytokine homolog. In conclusion, we show that KSHV is rarely associated with lymphoproliferative disorders in sub-Saharan Africa. We describe the first case of a KSHV-positive NHL from this region; this case is also the first reported pediatric lymphoma associated with KSHV infection.
PURPOSE: Tumor stromal microenvironment promotes neoplastic growth and angiogenesis. We have previously shown that recruitment of marrow-derived vascular endothelial growth factor receptor-1(+) (VEGFR-1(+)) proangiogenic hematopoietic progenitors contributes instructively and structurally to neoangiogenesis in mouse models. Here, we investigated whether stromal incorporation of CD68(+) hemangiogenic cells and alpha-smooth muscle actin(+) (alpha-SMA(+)) stromal cells correlates with neoangiogenesis and progression in human non-Hodgkin's lymphoma subtypes. EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN: Spatial localizations of vascular and stromal cells expressing CD34, VEGFR-1, alpha-SMA, and CD68 were examined by immunohistochemistry in 42 cases of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, including diffuse large B-cell lymphoma, Burkitt lymphoma, follicular lymphoma, and chronic lymphocytic leukemia/small lymphocytic lymphoma (CLL/SLL), and compared with benign follicular hyperplasia. RESULTS: Compared with indolent lymphomas, there was a profound increase in recruitment of CD68(+) cells and VEGFR-1(+) neovessels in aggressive subtypes (including those transformed from indolent subtypes), where CD68(+) cells were localized to the perivascular region of neovessels as well as the stromal compartment. The perivascular CD68(+) cells expressed VEGFR-1 and VEGF-A. In contrast, there was a diffuse increase in alpha-SMA incorporation throughout the stromal compartment of indolent subtype of CLL/SLL compared with the scant perivascular pattern in aggressive subtypes. Overall, there was no correlation between CD34(+) microvessel density and lymphoma histologic subtype. CONCLUSIONS: Heightened stromal hemangiogenesis as marked by infiltration of proangiogenic VEGFR-1(+)CD68(+)VEGF-A(+) cells and their paracrine cross-talk with neovasculature appears to be a distinct feature of aggressive lymphoma, providing novel targets for antiangiogenic therapy, whereas alpha-SMA(+) stromal vascular network may be differentially targeted in CLL/SLL.
Hodgkin lymphoma (HL) originates from the clonal expansion of malignant Hodgkin and Reed-Sternberg (HRS) cells. These B-cell-derived elements constitute less than 10% of the tumoral mass. The remaining tissue is comprised of an inflammatory infiltrate that includes myeloid cells. Myeloid cells activate B cells by producing BAFF and APRIL, which engage TACI, BCMA, and BAFF-R receptors on the B cells. Here, we studied the role of BAFF and APRIL in HL. Inflammatory and HRS cells from HL tumors expressed BAFF and APRIL. Unlike their putative germinal center B-cell precursors, HRS cells lacked BAFF-R, but expressed TACI and BCMA, a phenotype similar to that of plasmacytoid B cells. BAFF and APRIL enhanced HRS cell survival and proliferation by delivering nonredundant signals via TACI and BCMA receptors through both autocrine and paracrine pathways. These signals caused NF-kappaB activation; Bcl-2, Bcl-xL, and c-Myc up-regulation; and Bax down-regulation, and were amplified by APRIL-binding proteoglycans on HRS cells. Interruption of BAFF and APRIL signaling by TACI-Ig decoy receptor, which binds to and neutralizes BAFF and APRIL, or by small-interfering RNAs targeting BAFF, APRIL, TACI, and BCMA inhibited HRS cell accumulation in vitro and might attenuate HL expansion in vivo.
The risk of lymphoma in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) has raised concerns regarding the lymphogenic potential of immunomodulatory therapy. The link between immunosuppressive therapy and lymphoma risk is well established in patients with solid organ transplantations. In this population, it is postulated that lymphocytes infected with the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) proliferate unchecked due to impaired cell-mediated immunity. A similar phenomenon may occur in IBD patients treated with multiple immunomodulators and biological agents. In this report, we describe a case of EBV-positive non-Hodgkin's lymphoma arising in the ileal pouch of a patient with ulcerative colitis. This patient was maintained on prednisone (>20 mg/day) for 8 months, cyclosporine for 7 months, and 6-mercaptopurine for nearly 2 years prior to a single infusion of infliximab (5 mg/kg). The cumulative effects of more than three agents, simultaneously and/or sequentially, may simulate posttransplantation immunosuppression and pose a significant threat of malignancy. Such patients may warrant more aggressive diagnostic surveillance and evaluation.
Switching from IgM to IgG and IgA is essential for antiviral immunity and requires engagement of CD40 on B cells by CD40L on CD4(+) T cells. HIV-1 is thought to impair CD40-dependent production of protective IgG and IgA by inducing progressive loss of CD4(+) T cells. Paradoxically, this humoral immunodeficiency is associated with B cell hyperactivation and increased production of nonprotective IgG and IgA that are either nonspecific or specific for HIV-1 envelope glycoproteins, including gp120. Nonspecific and gp120-specific IgG and IgA are sensitive to antiretroviral therapy and remain sustained in infected individuals with very few CD4(+) T cells. One interpretation is that some HIV-1 Ags elicit IgG and IgA class switch DNA recombination (CSR) in a CD40-independent fashion. We show that a subset of B cells binds gp120 through mannose C-type lectin receptors (MCLRs). In the presence of gp120, MCLR-expressing B cells up-regulate the CSR-inducing enzyme, activation-induced cytidine deaminase, and undergo CSR from IgM to IgG and IgA. CSR is further enhanced by IL-4 or IL-10, whereas Ab secretion requires a B cell-activating factor of the TNF family. This CD40L-related molecule is produced by monocytes upon CD4, CCR5, and CXCR4 engagement by gp120 and cooperates with IL-4 and IL-10 to up-regulate MCLRs on B cells. Thus, gp120 may elicit polyclonal IgG and IgA responses by linking the innate and adaptive immune systems through the B cell-activating factor of the TNF family. Chronic activation of B cells through this CD40-independent pathway could impair protective T cell-dependent Ab responses by inducing immune exhaustion.
Immunoglobulin class switching from immunoglobulin M (IgM) to IgG and IgA is central to immunity against viruses and requires the activation of B cells by T cells via CD154 (CD40 ligand) and cytokines. These molecules limit their signaling activity in immune cells by turning on negative feedback proteins, including IkappaB and SOCS. We show here that negative factor (Nef) protein, an immunosuppressive human immunodeficiency virus 1 protein expressed and released by infected cells, penetrates B cells both in vivo and in vitro. Nef suppressed immunoglobulin class-switch DNA recombination by inducing IkappaBalpha and SOCS proteins, which blocked CD154 and cytokine signaling via NF-kappaB and STAT transcription factors. Thus, human immunodeficiency virus 1 may evade protective T cell-dependent IgG and IgA responses by 'hijacking' physiological feedback inhibitors in B cells via Nef.
The PR (PRDI-BF1-RIZ) domain zinc finger protein 1 (PRDM1) is a transcription repressor with a pivotal role in plasma-cell differentiation. We identified clonal inactivating mutations in PRDM1 in the diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) cell line OCI-Ly3 and in 8 of 35 de novo clinical DLBCL samples. The mutational spectrum consists predominantly (7 cases) of single-nucleotide mutations affecting consensus splice donor sites, some of which are recurrent, that lead to splicing aberrations and premature translation termination. In 2 of these cases, point mutations appear to be caused by RNA editing with G-to-A and U-to-G conversions. Other mutations include frame-shift deletion and chromosomal inversion. Except for one mutant, which may act as a dominant-negative, all mutations are associated with either deletion or silencing of the paired PRDM1 allele. This study identifies PRDM1 inactivation as a recurrent genetic defect in DLBCL cells and establishes PRDM1 as a potential tumor suppressor gene in DLBCL. Moreover, it implies inhibition of terminal differentiation as a pathogenetic pathway in DLBCL, particularly for the activated B-cell-like DLBCL. It also demonstrates for the first time the potential role of RNA editing in lymphomagenesis.
A 59-year-old female presented with isolated anemia and a splenic mass. Standard histology and immunohistochemical techniques categorized the splenic lesion as a cord capillary hemangioma. The patient's anemia resolved following splenectomy. Cord capillary hemangiomas are exceedingly rare with few reports in the literature. This is the first reported case of resolution of anemia after splenectomy for a vascular tumor of the spleen.
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PURPOSE: To evaluate the safety and efficacy of a sequential chemotherapy plus radioimmunotherapy (RIT) regimen in previously untreated follicular non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Thirty-five patients received an abbreviated course (three cycles) of fludarabine followed 6 to 8 weeks later by tositumomab and iodine I 131 tositumomab. RESULTS: After fludarabine, 31 (89%) of 35 patients responded, with three (9%) of 31 patients achieving a complete response (CR). After the full regimen of fludarabine and iodine I 131 tositumomab, all 35 patients responded; 30 (86%) of 35 patients achieved CR, and five (14%) of 35 achieved partial response. After a median follow-up of 58 months, the median progression-free survival (PFS) had not been reached (95% CI, 27 months to not reached), but it will be at least 48 months. The 5-year estimated PFS rate is 60%. Baseline Follicular Lymphoma International Prognostic Index (FLIPI) was significantly associated (P = .003) with PFS. Five of six patients with more than 25% bone marrow involvement at baseline achieved adequate bone marrow cytoreduction to receive standard-dose iodine I 131 tositumomab. Ten (77%) of 13 patients with baseline bone marrow Bcl-2 positivity demonstrated molecular remissions at month 12. Toxicities were manageable and principally hematologic. Two (6%) of 35 patients developed human antimurine antibodies (HAMA) after RIT. CONCLUSION: Use of abbreviated fludarabine before iodine I 131 tositumomab can reduce bone marrow involvement, when needed, to allow the use of RIT and can suppress HAMA responses. This sequential treatment regimen is highly effective as front-line therapy for follicular lymphoma, particularly for low- or intermediate-risk FLIPI patients.
PURPOSE: To explore the safety and therapeutic activity of combination anti-B-cell monoclonal antibody therapy in non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL). PATIENTS AND METHODS: Twenty-three patients with recurrent B-cell lymphoma received anti-CD22 epratuzumab 360 mg/m(2) and anti-CD20 rituximab 375 mg/m(2) monoclonal antibodies weekly for four doses each. Sixteen patients had indolent histologies (15 with follicular lymphoma) and seven had aggressive NHL (all diffuse large B-cell lymphoma [DLBCL]). Indolent patients had received a median of one (range, one to six) prior treatment, with 31% refractory to their last therapy and 81% with high-risk Follicular Lymphoma International Prognostic Index scores. Patients with DLBCL had a median of three (range, one to eight) prior regimens (14% resistant to last treatment) and 71% had high intermediate-risk or high-risk International Prognostic Index scores. All patients were rituximab naïve. RESULTS: Treatment was well tolerated, with toxicities principally infusion-related and predominantly grade 1 or 2. Ten (67%) patients with follicular NHL achieved an objective response (OR), including nine of 15 (60%) with complete responses (CRs and unconfirmed CRs). Four of six assessable patients (67%) with DLBCL achieved an OR, including three (50%) CRs. Median time to progression for all indolent NHL patients was 17.8 months. CONCLUSION: The full-dose combination of epratuzumab with rituximab was well tolerated and had significant clinical activity in NHL, suggesting that this combination should be tested in comparison with single-agent treatment.
The addition of rituximab to cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine, and prednisone (CHOP) chemotherapy results in significant improvement in clinical outcome for individuals with non-HIV-associated aggressive B-cell lymphoma. To assess the potential risks and benefits of the addition of rituximab to CHOP for HIV-associated non-Hodgkin lymphoma (HIV-NHL) 150 patients receiving CHOP for HIV-NHL were randomized (2:1) to receive 375 mg/m(2) rituximab with each chemotherapy cycle (n = 99) or no immunotherapy (n = 50) in a multicenter phase 3 trial. The complete response rate (CR + CRu) was 57.6% for R-CHOP and 47% for CHOP (P = .147). With a median follow-up of 137 weeks, time to progression, progression-free survival, and overall survival times were 125, 45, and 139 weeks, respectively, for R-CHOP and 85, 38, and 110 weeks, respectively, for CHOP (P = not significant, all comparisons). Treatment-related infectious deaths occurred in 14% of patients receiving R-CHOP compared with 2% in the chemotherapy-alone group (P = .035). Of these deaths, 60% occurred in patients with CD4 counts less than 50/mm(3). Progression-free survival was significantly influenced by CD4(+) count (P < .001) and International Prognostic Index score (P = .022), but not bcl-2 status. The addition of rituximab to CHOP in patients with HIV-NHL may be associated with improved tumor responses. However, these benefits may be offset by an increase in infectious deaths, particularly in those individuals with CD4(+) lymphocyte counts less than 50/mm(3).
We show that the microRNA miR-155 can be processed from sequences present in BIC RNA, a spliced and polyadenylated but non-protein-coding RNA that accumulates in lymphoma cells. The precursor of miR-155 is likely a transient spliced or unspliced nuclear BIC transcript rather than accumulated BIC RNA, which is primarily cytoplasmic. By using a sensitive and quantitative assay, we find that clinical isolates of several types of B cell lymphomas, including diffuse large B cell lymphoma (DLBCL), have 10- to 30-fold higher copy numbers of miR-155 than do normal circulating B cells. Similarly, the quantities of BIC RNA are elevated in lymphoma cells, but ratios of the amounts of the two RNAs are not constant, suggesting that the level of miR-155 is controlled by transcription and processing. Significantly higher levels of miR-155 are present in DLBCLs with an activated B cell phenotype than with the germinal center phenotype. Because patients with activated B cell-type DLBCL have a poorer clinical prognosis, quantification of this microRNA may be diagnostically useful.
Advances in immunophenotypic profiling now permit characterization of natural killer/T-cell (NK/T-cell) lymphoma as distinct from other extranodal T- and B-cell Non-Hodgkin's lymphomas. NK/T-cell lymphoma presents most commonly in the nasal cavity. Disease progression to the central nervous system (CNS) is a rare phenomenon. We present here, to our knowledge, the first immunophenotypically-confirmed case of direct extension of nasal NK/T-cell lymphoma to the brain. In addition, we review the literature with respect to NK/T-cell lymphoma metastasis to the CNS. The overall prevalence of NK/T-cell lymphoma CNS metastasis is less than 3%. Although rare, CNS invasion portends a poor prognosis, emphasizing the importance of early and accurate immunophenotype profiling and the need for novel, aggressive therapy.
Primary effusion lymphomas (PELs) are specifically associated with Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV) infection and most frequently occur in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-positive individuals as lymphomatous effusions in the serous cavities without a detectable solid tumor mass. Most PELs have concomitant Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) infection, suggesting that EBV is an important pathogenetic cofactor, although other as yet unidentified cofactors, such as cellular genetic alterations, are also likely to play a role. Lymphomatous effusions that lack KSHV also occur; these are frequently EBV associated in the setting of HIV infection. Here we used gene expression profile analysis to determine the viral impact on cellular gene expression and the pathogenesis of these lymphomatous effusions. Our results show that many genes, including cell cycle and signal transduction regulators, are differentially expressed between KSHV-positive PELs and KSHV-negative lymphomatous effusions and also between KSHV-positive, EBV-positive and KSHV-positive, EBV-negative PELs. Our results confirm that KSHV plays an important role in the pathogenesis of PELs, as its presence selects for a very distinct cellular gene expression category and a clearly different lymphoma type. Within the KSHV-positive PELs, the effect of EBV is more subtle but nevertheless clear.
PURPOSE: We conducted a single-center, dose-escalation study evaluating the safety, pharmacokinetics, and efficacy of epratuzumab, an anti-CD22 humanized monoclonal antibody, in patients with aggressive non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN: Epratuzumab was administered once weekly for 4 weeks at 120-1000-mg/m2 doses to 56 patients [most (n = 35) with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma]. RESULTS: Patients were heavily pretreated (median, 4 prior therapies), 25% received prior high-dose chemotherapy with stem cell transplant, and 84% had bulky disease (> or =5 cm). Epratuzumab was well tolerated, with no dose-limiting toxicity. Most (95%) infusions were completed within 1 h. The mean serum half-life was 23.9 days. Across all dose levels and histologies, objective responses (ORs) were observed in five patients (10%; 95% confidence interval, 3-21%), including three complete responses. In patients with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma, 15% had ORs. Overall, 11 (20%) patients experienced some tumor mass reduction. Median duration of OR was 26.3 weeks, and median time to progression for responders was 35 weeks. Two responses are ongoing at > or =34 months, including one rituximab-refractory patient. CONCLUSIONS: These data demonstrate that epratuzumab has a good safety profile and exerts antitumor activity in aggressive non-Hodgkin's lymphoma at doses of > or =240 mg/m2, thus warranting further evaluation in this clinical setting.
The mechanisms underlying the autonomous accumulation of malignant B cells remain elusive. We show in this study that non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL) B cells express B cell-activating factor of the TNF family (BAFF) and a proliferation-inducing ligand (APRIL), two powerful B cell-activating molecules usually expressed by myeloid cells. In addition, NHL B cells express BAFF receptor, which binds BAFF, as well as transmembrane activator and calcium modulator and cyclophilin ligand interactor (TACI) and B cell maturation Ag (BCMA), which bind both BAFF and APRIL. Neutralization of endogenous BAFF and APRIL by soluble TACI and BCMA decoy receptors attenuates the survival of NHL B cells, decreases activation of the prosurvival transcription factor NF-kappaB, down-regulates the antiapoptotic proteins Bcl-2 and Bcl-x(L), and up-regulates the proapoptotic protein Bax. Conversely, exposure of NHL B cells to recombinant or myeloid cell-derived BAFF and APRIL attenuates apoptosis, increases NF-kappaB activation, up-regulates Bcl-2 and Bcl-x(L), and down-regulates Bax. In some NHLs, exogenous BAFF and APRIL up-regulate c-Myc, an inducer of cell proliferation; down-regulate p53, an inhibitor of cell proliferation; and increase Bcl-6, an inhibitor of B cell differentiation. By showing that nonmalignant B cells up-regulate BAFF and APRIL upon stimulation by T cell CD40 ligand, our findings indicate that NHL B cells deregulate an otherwise physiological autocrine survival pathway to evade apoptosis. Thus, neutralization of BAFF and APRIL by soluble TACI and BCMA decoy receptors could be useful to dampen the accumulation of malignant B cells in NHL patients.