Expression of Adhesion Molecules in B-cell Chronic Lymphocytic Leukaemia: an Analysis in Lymphoid Compartments - Peripheral Blood, Bone Marrow and Lymph Node

Abstract

The trafficking or homing of different lymphoid subsets to particular microenvironment is mediated by specific cell adhesion molecules (CAMs) expressed on lymphocytes and endothelial cells. B-cell chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (B-CLL) or Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma of small lymphocytic, B-cell type are monoclonal expansions of mature lymphocytes. The relative distribution of the tumor lymphocytes among various lymphoid compartments vary from patient to patient. Very few studies underlying this issue are available. To this effect, we have analysed the expression of LFA-1; VLA-4, ICAM-1; CD44H and CD44v6 (haematopoietic and variant form respectively) on freshly isolated lymphocytes obtained from bone marrow (BM), peripheral blood (PB) and lymph node (LN) by flow cytometry. Overall, we find strong expression of CD44H, low to moderate expression of LFA-1, negative to low expression of VLA-4 and lack of expression of CD44v6. ICAM-1 expression was observed only in patients with prominent lymphadenopathy. Higher expression of CD44H in PB lymphoid cells relative to that of BM lymphoid cells correlated with higher PB lymphocytosis (p < 0.001). Proliferating cell nuclear antigen expression in LN sections correlated inversely with VLA-4 expression on BM and PB lymphoid cells (p < 0.05). There was no significant correlation between expression of CAMs and bcl-2 protein.

Intravascular bone marrow accumulation in persistent polyclonal lymphocytosis: a misleading feature for B-cell neoplasm

“…23 Our observation of an altered expression of such adhesion molecules as CD62L, CD11c, CD29, CD49d and CD31 in most of the PPBL cases studied is consistent with this hypothesis. Interestingly, the pattern of adhesion molecules expression on PPBL is, in part, similar to what has been reported in B-cell CLL (24). Indeed, Nadkarni et al 24 reported low-to-moderate expression of LFA-1 and negativeto-low expression of VLA-4 on PPBL, while ICAM-1 expression was observed only in patients with prominent lymphadenopathy.…”

Bcl‐2 family of proteins in indolent B‐cell non‐Hodgkin's lymphoma: Study of 116 cases

“…Higher expression of CD20 and CD44H has been demonstrated in the peripheral blood B-CLL cells as compared to the cells populating the LNs [21,22]. We have not come across any study addressing the differences in the expression of the bcl-2 family of proteins between peripheral blood and LN samples in patients of B-CLL.…”

Adhesion molecule profiles of B-cell non-Hodgkin's lymphomas in the leukemic phase

“…Our finding of the lower expression of CD11a and CD49d in chronic lymphocytic leukemia suggests that these adhesion molecules are probably responsible for the different compartment the disease infiltrates compared to its related entity, the small lymphocytic lymphoma (17,18). Actually, since the structure of normal lymphoid follicles in lymph nodes depends on the appropriate association between B lymphocytes and dendritic follicular cells through the interaction of CD11a and ICAM-1 (an intercellular adhesion molecule), and of CD49d and VCAM-1 (a vascular cell adhesion molecule), respectively (19), the lower expression of CD11a and CD49d on tumor cells of chronic lymphocytic leukemia could facilitate their detachment from the lymph node, while the expression of these adhesion molecules is preserved in small lymphocytic lymphoma (17,18).…”

“…Actually, since the structure of normal lymphoid follicles in lymph nodes depends on the appropriate association between B lymphocytes and dendritic follicular cells through the interaction of CD11a and ICAM-1 (an intercellular adhesion molecule), and of CD49d and VCAM-1 (a vascular cell adhesion molecule), respectively (19), the lower expression of CD11a and CD49d on tumor cells of chronic lymphocytic leukemia could facilitate their detachment from the lymph node, while the expression of these adhesion molecules is preserved in small lymphocytic lymphoma (17,18). In fact, the down-regulation of CD11a and CD49d in chronic lymphocytic leukemia could also explain the peripheral blood invasion by these malignant cells, as compared with the occasional infiltration observed in mantle-cell lymphoma and marginal B-cell lymphoma.…”