Characteristics of immunological synapse in mature B‐cell neoplasms

Abstract

Antigens of the immunological synapse (IS), particularly immune checkpoint proteins, have been of great interest for decades. These antigens can be very important characteristics of B-cell lymphoproliferative diseases (B-CLD). 1-3 Identification and understanding of the underlying differences in antigens of IS in B-CLD play a significant role in understanding how tumor cells avoid T-cell immunity. 4,5 The prognosis for different B-CLDs is varied. It can be suggested that tumor B cells in various B-cell neoplasms use different mechanisms to evade the immune response. Here, we present a study of IS antigens in B-CLD. The study included 48 patients with B-CLD who previously received no specific therapy. There were 26 patients diagnosed with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), 12-with mantle cell lymphoma (MCL), and 10-with splenic marginal zone lymphoma (SMZL). The median age of CLL patients was 59.5 years, MCL-56.5 years, and SMZL-60 years. CLL patients were divided into stages according to the Binet classification: A-10 patients, B-11, and C-5. MCL patients were divided according to the cytogenetic risk: intermediate-risk group included only t(11;14)-7 patients; unfavorable risk-del17p13 or p53 mutations (5 patients). Peripheral blood was collected in ethylenediaminetetraacetate tubes. Tumor cells and T cells were analyzed by flow cytometry (BD FACSCanto II (BD Biosciences, USA)). Monoclonal antibody panel for B-cell analysis included CD19 PE, CD5 PerCP-Cy5.5, CD80 FITC, CD279 (PD-1) FITC, CD86 APC, CD274 (PD-L1) PE-Cy7, CD95 (FAS)