Expression profile of Eph receptors and ephrin ligands in healthy human B lymphocytes and chronic lymphocytic leukemia B-cells

Leuk Res. 2009 Mar;33(3):395-406. doi: 10.1016/j.leukres.2008.08.010. Epub 2008 Sep 26.

Abstract

Increasing information relates some Eph receptors and their ligands, ephrins (EFN), with the immune system. Herein, we found that normal B-cells from peripheral blood (PB) and lymph nodes (LN) showed a differential expression of certain Eph/EFN members, some of them being modulated upon in vitro stimulation including EFNA1, EFNA4, EphB6 and EphA10. In contrast, PB CLL B-cells showed a more heterogeneous Eph/EFN profile than their normal PB B-cell counterparts, expressing Eph/EFN members frequently found within the LN and activated B-cells, specially EFNA4, EphB6 and EphA10. Two of them, EphB6 and EFNA4 were further related with the clinical course of CLL patients. EphB6 expression correlated with a high content of ZAP-70 mRNA and a poor prognosis. High serum levels of a soluble EFNA4 isoform positively correlated with increasing peripheral blood lymphocyte counts and lymphadenopathy. These findings suggest that Eph/EFN might be relevant in normal B-cell biology and could represent new potential prognostic markers and therapeutic targets for CLL.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • B-Lymphocytes / pathology*
  • Biomarkers, Tumor / analysis
  • Case-Control Studies
  • Ephrin-A4 / genetics
  • Ephrins / genetics*
  • Gene Expression Profiling
  • Humans
  • Leukemia, Lymphocytic, Chronic, B-Cell / genetics*
  • Leukemia, Lymphocytic, Chronic, B-Cell / pathology
  • Prognosis
  • Receptor Protein-Tyrosine Kinases / genetics
  • Receptors, Eph Family / genetics*
  • ZAP-70 Protein-Tyrosine Kinase / genetics

Substances

  • Biomarkers, Tumor
  • Ephrin-A4
  • Ephrins
  • EPHB6 protein, human
  • Receptor Protein-Tyrosine Kinases
  • Receptors, Eph Family
  • ZAP-70 Protein-Tyrosine Kinase