Multiple monoclonal B cell expansions and c-myc oncogene rearrangements in acquired immune deficiency syndrome-related lymphoproliferative disorders. Implications for lymphomagenesis. Academic Article uri icon

Overview

abstract

  • AIDS (acquired immune deficiency syndrome) and ARC (AIDS-related complex) are associated with a spectrum of lymphoproliferative disorders ranging from lymphadenopathy syndrome (LAS), an apparently benign polyclonal lymphoid hyperplasia, to B cell non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (B-NHL), i.e., malignant, presumably monoclonal B cell proliferations. To gain insight into the process of lymphomagenesis in AIDS and to investigate a possible pathogenetic relationship between LAS and NHL, we investigated the clonality of the B or T lymphoid populations by Ig or T beta gene rearrangement analysis, the presence of rearrangements involving the c-myc oncogene locus, and the presence of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) sequences in both LAS and B-NHL biopsies. Our data indicate that multiple clonal B cell expansions are present in a significant percentage of LAS (approximately 20%) and B-NHL (60%) biopsies. c-myc rearrangements/translocations are detectable in 9 of our 10 NHLs, but not in any of the LAS cases. However, only one of the B cell clones, identified by Ig gene rearrangements carries a c-myc gene rearrangement, suggesting that only one clone carries the genetic abnormality associated with malignant B cell lymphoma. Furthermore, the frequency of detection of c-myc rearrangements in AIDS-associated NHLs of both Burkitt and non-Burkitt type suggest that the biological alterations present in AIDS favor the development of lymphomas carrying activated c-myc oncogenes. Finally, our data show that HIV DNA sequences are not detectable in LAS nor in NHL B cell clones, suggesting that HIV does not play a direct role in NHL development. Taken together, these observations suggest a model of multistep lymphomagenesis in AIDS in which LAS would represent a predisposing condition to NHL. Immunosuppression and EBV infection present in LAS can favor the expansion of B cell clones, which in turn may increase the probability of occurrence of c-myc rearrangements leading to malignant transformation.

publication date

  • December 1, 1986

Research

keywords

  • Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome
  • Antibodies, Monoclonal
  • B-Lymphocytes
  • Oncogenes

Identity

PubMed Central ID

  • PMC2188476

Scopus Document Identifier

  • 0023029392

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

  • 10.1084/jem.164.6.2049

PubMed ID

  • 3491176

Additional Document Info

volume

  • 164

issue

  • 6