Translocation t(14;18) and gain of chromosome 18/BCL2: effects on BCL2 expression and apoptosis in B-cell non-Hodgkin's lymphomas

Gain of chromosome 18q and translocation t(14;18) are] frequently found in B-cell non-Hodgkin's lymphomas (B-NHL). Increased BCL2 transcription and BCL2 protein expression have been suggested to be the result of the gain. We utilized FISH, PCR and array CGH to study BCL2 and chromosome 18 copy number changes and rearrangements in 93 cases of B-NHL. BCL2 protein was expressed in >75% of the tumor cells in 92% of the cases by immunohistochemistry. Gain of BCL2 was associated with a 25% increase in BCL2 expression levels (immunoblotting), whereas t(14;18) resulted in a 55% increase in BCL2 levels compared to cases without BCL2 alterations. The tumor cell (spontaneous) apoptotic fractions were similar for the cases with different BCL2 genotypes. However, the normal cell apoptotic fractions were higher for the tumors with t(14;18) compared to the tumors without BCL2 alterations, while the tumors with gain of BCL2 only showed intermediate levels. Low-level gains of parts of chromosome 18 were found in 14 of the 38 B-NHL cases with t(14;18), with a consensus region 18pter-q21.33 that did not include the BCL2 gene. The 11 cases with 18q gain only showed a consensus region encompassing 18q21.2-18q21.32 and 18q21.33, which contain PMAIP1/MALT1 and BCL2, respectively.

Proliferation-dependent expression and phosphorylation of pRB in B cell non-Hodgkin's lymphomas: dependence on RB1 copy number

Some studies have suggested that a significant fraction of non-Hodgkin's lymphomas (NHL) do not express pRB protein, possibly due to deletions of RB1. We examined RB1/centromere 17 copy number by fluorescent in situ hybridisation, and pRB expression/phosphorylation by immunohistochemistry (IHC) and immunoblotting (IB) in 66 cases of B cell NHL. Thirteen cases had lost one RB1 copy relative to centromere 17 copy number and total DNA content. Case 458/88 had no RB1 copies. pRB levels were heterogeneous as assessed by IB (0.04-1.12 relative units), but all tumours, except for case 458/88, expressed pRB localised to the nucleus in >75% of the tumour cells by IHC. The fraction of phosphorylated pRB was correlated with pRB expression (r(2)= 0.56, P < 0.001). The 14 cases with loss of RB1 had lower pRB expression (median 0.25) than those without (median 0.48, P < 0.001), but a correlation with S phase fraction (r(2) = 0.43, P < 0.001; previously published data for tumour-specific S phase and apoptotic fractions) indicated that the variation in pRB expression was due to differences in proliferative activity. Furthermore, the regression lines for pRB expression vs S phase fraction were not different for the cases with or without loss of one RB1 copy (P = 0.5). Cases 154/88 (one RB1 copy) and 258/88 (two RB1 copies), in addition to case 458/88, had low expression of (hypophosphorylated) pRB (0.04, 0.08 and 0.04), despite their high S phase fractions (21%, 17% and 21%). There was no association between pRB expression/RB1 copy number and apoptotic fraction. Neither pRB expression nor loss of RB1 had prognostic value, but cases 154/88, 258/88, and 458/88 had short survival times (5, 3 and 46 months, respectively) compared to the others (median survival: 44 months, P = 0.03). It is suggested that pRB expression and function are normal in 63 of 66 NHL cases, including 12 of 13 lymphomas with loss of one RB1 allele.

Oncogenic aberrations in the p53 pathway are associated with a high S phase fraction and poor patient survival in B-cell Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma

The implications of aberrations in the p53 pathway for induction of apoptosis and regulation of S phase entry, and for patient survival, were investigated in 83 B-cell Non-Hodgkin's lymphomas. Eight cases had missense mutations in exons 5, 7, 8 and 9 as revealed by constant denaturant gel electrophoresis and sequencing. Fifteen cases had lost 1 TP53 allele as revealed by fluorescent in situ hybridization and comparative genomic hybridization. Ten cases expressed high levels of p53 as assessed by immunoblotting and immunohistochemistry. S phase fractions were higher, apoptotic fractions were the same and survival times were shorter in all aberration groups compared with the cases with no TP53/p53 aberrations. Since many tumors had more than one TP53/p53 aberration, the tumors were divided into groups with the following characteristics: no TP53/p53 aberrations; loss of one TP53 allele only (9 cases), TP53 point mutation (8 cases), high-level p53 expression and no TP53 mutation (3 cases). Tumors from the 3 latter groups had higher median S phase fractions (5%, 7.6%, and 5%, respectively, p<0.02) than the cases without any aberrations (1.1%), and survival time for these patients was much shorter (relative risks of 5.9, 8.9, and 6.6, respectively, p<0.003). Apoptotic fractions were similar in all these groups (p=0.09). Multivariate analysis showed that the presence of TP53/p53 aberrations is a strong and independent prognostic parameter in B-cell Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.