ANTIGENS IN CHRONIC LYMPHOCYTIC LEUKEMIA-IMPLICATIONS FOR CELL ORIGIN AND LEUKEMOGENESIS

[Guest guest]

Blank ANTIGENS IN CHRONIC LYMPHOCYTIC LEUKEMIA-IMPLICATIONS FOR CELL ORIGIN AND

LEUKEMOGENESIS.

A Rosen, F Murray, C Evaldsson, and R Rosenquist

Semin Cancer Biol, September 20, 2010; .

Division of Cell Biology, Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine,

Linkping University, Linkping.

Several types of B cell tumors, particularly MALT lymphomas, are known to have

an antigen-driven component in tumor development. Over the past two decades

substantial data have accumulated regarding the restricted immunoglobulin (IG)

gene repertoire in chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) and its potential

implications for antigenic drive in the disease development and progression.

Herein we discuss how evidence first illustrated a link between certain B cell

receptor (BCR) specificities and disease outcome and the subsequent large-scale

IG analyses which revealed the extent of " stereotyped " BCRs in CLL. More recent

studies on CLL antibody reactivity have gradually provided clues as to which

antigens may be involved in tumor development. Significantly, CLL monoclonal

antibodies have been shown to resemble natural antibodies recognizing molecular

motifs both on apoptotic cells (e.g. modified cytoskeletal proteins and

oxidation-specific epitopes), as well as exogenous bacteria, indicating that CLL

clones possibly arise from B cells which have dual function as scavengers of

apoptotic debris, while also having the ability to bind conserved bacterial cell

structures. Such revelations have lead us to re-evaluate both the phenotypic and

functional characteristics of the tumor B cells and the pathway by which CLL

arises and develops.

PMID: 20863893