Fc epsilon RI and CD22 mRNA are expressed in early B-lineage and myeloid leukemia cell lines

Differential Evolution between Monotocous and Polytocous Species

One of the most important traits for both animal science and livestock production is the number of offspring for a species. This study was performed to identify differentially evolved genes and their distinct functions that influence the number of offspring at birth by comparative analysis of eight monotocous mammals and seven polytocous mammals in a number of scopes: specific amino acid substitution with site-wise adaptive evolution, gene expansion and specific orthologous group. The mutually exclusive amino acid substitution among the 16 mammalian species identified five candidate genes. These genes were both directly and indirectly related to ovulation. Furthermore, in monotocous mammals, the EPH gene family was found to have undergone expansion. Previously, the EPHA4 gene was found to positively affect litter size in pigs and supports the possibility of the EPH gene playing a role in determining the number of offspring per birth. The identified genes in this study offer a basis from which the differences between monotocous and polytocous species can be studied. Furthermore, these genes may harbor some clues to the underlying mechanism, which determines litter size and may prove useful for livestock breeding strategies.

In silico analyses reveal common cellular pathways affected by loss of heterozygosity (LOH) events in the lymphomagenesis of Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL)

Background

The analysis of cellular networks and pathways involved in oncogenesis has increased our knowledge about the pathogenic mechanisms that underlie tumour biology and has unmasked new molecular targets that may lead to the design of better anti-cancer therapies. Recently, using a high resolution loss of heterozygosity (LOH) analysis, we identified a number of potential tumour suppressor genes (TSGs) within common LOH regions across cases suffering from two of the most common forms of Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma (NHL), Follicular Lymphoma (FL) and Diffuse Large B-cell Lymphoma (DLBCL). From these studies LOH of the protein tyrosine phosphatase receptor type J (PTPRJ) gene was identified as a common event in the lymphomagenesis of these B-cell lymphomas. The present study aimed to determine the cellular pathways affected by the inactivation of these TSGs including PTPRJ in FL and DLBCL tumourigenesis.

Results

Pathway analytical approaches identified that candidate TSGs located within common LOH regions participate within cellular pathways, which may play a crucial role in FL and DLBCL lymphomagenesis (i.e., metabolic pathways). These analyses also identified genes within the interactome of PTPRJ (i.e. PTPN11 and B2M) that when inactivated in NHL may play an important role in tumourigenesis. We also detected genes that are differentially expressed in cases with and without LOH of PTPRJ, such as NFATC3 (nuclear factor of activated T-cells, cytoplasmic, calcineurin-dependent 3). Moreover, upregulation of the VEGF, MAPK and ERBB signalling pathways was also observed in NHL cases with LOH of PTPRJ, indicating that LOH-driving events causing inactivation of PTPRJ, apart from possibly inducing a constitutive activation of these pathways by reduction or abrogation of its dephosphorylation activity, may also induce upregulation of these pathways when inactivated. This finding implicates these pathways in the lymphomagenesis and progression of FL and DLBCL.

Conclusions

The evidence obtained in this research supports findings suggesting that FL and DLBCL share common pathogenic mechanisms. Also, it indicates that PTPRJ can play a crucial role in the pathogenesis of these B-cell tumours and suggests that activation of PTPRJ might be an interesting novel chemotherapeutic target for the treatment of these B-cell tumours.

Electronic supplementary material

The online version of this article (doi: 10.1186/1471-2164-15-390) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Immunophenotypic study of basophils by multiparameter flow cytometry

CONTEXT

The immunophenotypic profile of basophils is not yet fully established, and the immunophenotypic changes in chronic myelogenous leukemia are not fully characterized.

OBJECTIVE

To establish a comprehensive immunophenotypic spectrum of normal basophils and to assess the range of immunophenotypic aberrations of basophils in chronic myelogenous leukemia.

DESIGN

Using 4-color flow cytometry, we compared the immunophenotypic profile of basophils in peripheral blood or bone marrow samples from 20 patients with no evidence of neoplasia to basophils from 15 patients with chronic myelogenous leukemia.

RESULTS

Basophils in control cases were all positive for CD9, CD13, CD22, CD25 (dim), CD33, CD36, CD38 (bright), CD45 (dimmer than lymphocytes and brighter than myeloblasts), and CD123 (bright), and were negative for CD19, CD34, CD64, CD117, and HLA-DR. Basophils in all chronic myelogenous leukemia patients possessed 1 to 5 immunophenotypic aberrancies. The most common aberrancies were underexpression of CD38, followed by aberrant expression of CD64 and underexpression of CD123. CD34 and CD117 were present in cases with basophilic precursors. Myeloblasts showed a distinct immunophenotypic profile, as they typically expressed CD34 and CD117, showed dimmer expression (compared with basophils) of CD38, CD45, and CD123, and lacked expression of CD22.

CONCLUSIONS

Flow cytometric immunophenotyping can identify immunophenotypic aberrations of basophils in chronic myelogenous leukemia, and discriminate basophils from myeloblasts.

Simultaneous expression of CD13, CD22 and CD25 is related to the expression of Fc epsilon R1 in non-lymphoid leukemia

Like CD19 or CD56, CD22 in non-lymphoid leukemia has been considered an aberrantly expressed antigen. CD22 had been believed to be restricted to B lymphoid, however, it was also found to be expressed in human basophils. Mature basophils are unique granulocytes expressing CD13, CD22 and CD25. To estimate whether the expression of CD22 in non-lymphoid leukemia is aberrant or related to basophilic character, we analyzed 108 patients with primary and secondary leukemia. Among non-lymphoid leukemias, surface CD22 expression was more frequently observed in peroxidase-negative AML and secondary leukemia, and was usually observed simultaneously with CD13 and CD25. Samples obtained from 17 cases were further analyzed, and all the Fc epsilon R1-positive cases were observed in peroxidase-negative AML and secondary non-lymphoid leukemia, and mostly expressed CD13, CD22 and CD25. Therefore, surface CD22 expression in non-lymphoid leukemia was thought to relate to basophilic phenotype in some cases. Like CD22, some of the so-called aberrantly expressed antigens may not actually be aberrant, but are expressed in a stage of differentiation and maturation of progenitors. Moreover, CD22 may be one of target molecules for treatment of CD22-positive, poorly prognostic leukemia.