Abstract
Introduction. B cell chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (B-CLL) is a heterogeneous disease as shown by differential expression of a variety of surface and cytoplasmic markers. In a search for markers that could define biological activity of different B-CLL subsets, we have studied the surface expression of the Toll-like receptor (TLR) family member CD180 in relation to other surface markers and mutation status of IgVh genes.
Methods. Seventy eight B-CLL patients (68 untreated and 10 treated) and 15 age-matched controls were studied in three different clinics. CD19+ B cells were stained using indirect immuno fluorescence for CD180, surface IgM (sIgM), CD79b and CD38, analysed by flow cytometry and data expressed as the relative antibody binding sites (RBS)/cell for each marker. Monoclonal anti-CD5 antibodies were also used with anti CD180 to determine levels of expression of CD180 in control CD5+ cells. IgVh mutation was determined for 47 patients.
Results B-CLL cells had variable levels of CD180 expression, but this was always less (1036 ± 935 RBS/cell) than that expressed by normal blood B cells (5548 ± 2271 RBS/cell) and was stable for up to 18 months. Significantly higher levels of CD180 were expressed by B-CLL cells with mutated (M) compared with those using unmutated (UM) IgVh genes. This was in contrast to the higher levels of expression of sIgM by B-CLL cells using UM than M IgVh genes (Figure).
Conclusions. CD180 is expressed at higher levels on B-CLL cells using M than those using UM IgVh genes and is in contrast to the level of expression of sIgM which is higher on B-CLL cells using UM versus M genes.
This differential expression of CD180 supports the notion that B-CLL cells using UM IgVh genes represent a population of cells actively responding to signals (perhaps to self antigens) via their surface IgM.
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