Additional Genetic High-Risk Features Such As 11q Deletion, 17p Deletion, and V3-21 Usage Characterize Discordance of ZAP-70 and VH Mutation Status in Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia

2006 ◽  
Vol 24 (6) ◽  
pp. 969-975 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alexander Kröber ◽  
Johannes Bloehdorn ◽  
Sebastian Hafner ◽  
Andreas Bühler ◽  
Till Seiler ◽  
...  

Purpose Immunoglobulin heavy chain variable-region (VH) gene mutation status and zeta-associated protein 70 (ZAP-70) expression are correlated in chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), but their concordance is variable. The goal of this study was to elucidate additional factors potentially characterizing their discordance. Patients and Methods We evaluated ZAP-70 expression by flow cytometry, VH status by DNA sequencing, and genomic aberrations by fluorescence in situ hybridization in 148 CLL patients. The parameters were analyzed for their associations and their individual prognostic impact. Results ZAP-70 expression and VH mutation status were strongly associated in CLL without additional genetic high-risk-features as defined by the absence of 11q or 17p deletion and V3-21 usage (concordance 84%). In contrast, the proportion of discordant cases was significantly higher (39%), if such additional genetic high-risk features were present. Discordant cases with V3-21 usage were almost exclusively ZAP-70 positive and VH mutated (89%), whereas all but one of the discordant cases with high-risk aberrations were ZAP-70 negative and VH unmutated (92%). By multivariate regression analysis, two models were developed, which both include high-risk genomic aberrations and, alternatively, VH mutation status and V3-21 usage or ZAP-70 expression as independent outcome predictors. Conclusion There were characteristic modes of discordance between ZAP-70 and VH mutation status depending on the presence or absence of additional genetic high-risk features such as 11q and 17p deletion or V3-21 usage. Although the biologic background for these findings is yet to be determined, these data have biologic and clinical implications regarding ZAP-70 as a pathogenic factor and outcome predictor, respectively.

Blood ◽  
2002 ◽  
Vol 100 (4) ◽  
pp. 1410-1416 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alexander Kröber ◽  
Till Seiler ◽  
Axel Benner ◽  
Lars Bullinger ◽  
Elsbeth Brückle ◽  
...  

In chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), biologic risk factors such as immunoglobulin variable heavy chain gene (VH) mutation status, CD38 expression level, and genomic aberrations have recently been identified, but the relative prognostic impact of the individual parameters is unknown. In the current study, we analyzed VH mutation status by polymerase chain reaction and sequencing (n = 300), genomic aberrations by fluorescence in situ hybridization (+3q, 6q−, +8q, 11q−, +12q, 13q−, t(14q), 17p−) (n = 300), and CD38 expression by triple-color FACS (CD5, CD19, CD38) (n = 157) in a unicentric CLL cohort. The prognostic influence of VH mutation rate and CD38 expression level was tested by maximally selected log-rank statistics. A corrected P value (Pcor) for a cutoff level allowing the best separation of 2 subgroups with different survival probabilities was identified at 97% VH homology (95% confidence interval [CI], 96%-98% homology,Pcor <.001) and at 7% CD38 expression (95% CI, 20%-71% expression, Pcor = .02). In univariate analyses, unmutated VH genes and high CD38 expression levels predicted for shorter survival times. The overall incidence of genomic aberrations was similar in theVH unmutated and VHmutated subgroups. High-risk genomic aberrations such as 17p− and 11q− occurred almost exclusively in the VHunmutated subgroup, whereas favorable aberrations such as 13q− and 13q− as single abnormalities were overrepresented in theVH mutated subgroup. In multivariate analysis, unmutated VH, 17p deletion, 11q deletion, age, WBC, and LDH were identified as independent prognostic factors, indicating a complementary role of VH mutation status and genomic aberrations to predict outcome in CLL.


Blood ◽  
2008 ◽  
Vol 111 (4) ◽  
pp. 2246-2252 ◽  
Author(s):  
Göran Roos ◽  
Alexander Kröber ◽  
Pawel Grabowski ◽  
Dirk Kienle ◽  
Andreas Bühler ◽  
...  

Telomere length is associated with mutation status of the immunoglobulin heavy chain variable (IGHV) gene and clinical course in B-cell chronic lymphocytic leukemia (B-CLL). In a B-CLL cohort of 152 patients, we analyzed telomere length, genomic aberrations, IGHV mutation status, CD38 and ZAP-70 expression to study the prognostic impact and associations among these factors. An inverse correlation existed between telomere length and IGHV homology (P < .001), CD38 (P < .001), and ZAP-70 expression (P = .01). Patients with telomere lengths below median (ie, “short telomeres”) and above median (ie, “long telomeres”) had similar incidences of genomic aberrations (74% vs 68%), 13q− (57% vs 49%), and +12q (5% vs 12%). In contrast, 13q− as a single aberration was more frequent in patients with long telomeres (51% vs 21%; P = .006), whereas 11q− (27% vs 9%; P = .014), 17p− (17% vs 0%; P < .001), and 2 or more genomic aberrations (39% vs 8%; P < .001) were more frequent in patients with short telomeres. Compared with patients with long telomeres, treatment-free survival (TFS) and overall survival (OS) was significantly shorter (P < .001 and P = .015, respectively) in the group with short telomeres, and telomere length was an independent prognostic indicator for TFS. These observations have biological and prognostic implications in B-CLL.


Blood ◽  
2005 ◽  
Vol 106 (11) ◽  
pp. 1178-1178
Author(s):  
Alexander Kröber ◽  
Pawel Grabowski ◽  
Andreas Bühler ◽  
Till Seiler ◽  
Hartmut Döhner ◽  
...  

Abstract Telomere length has been associated with the mutation status of the immunoglobulin variable heavy chain (VH) gene and the clinical course in chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). In an unicentric CLL cohort of 108 patients, we have analyzed the telomere length by quantitative real time PCR, genomic aberrations by FISH with a comprehensive set of DNA probes (11q, 12q, 13q, 14q, 17p), the VH mutation status by DNA sequencing, ZAP-70 expression (clone 2F3.2, Upstate, according to Crespo et al., NEJM 2003) and CD38 expression by flow cytometry, to further study the prognostic impact and associations among these factors. A relative telomere-single-copy-gene ratio (T/S) was calculated for each sample, where low and high T/S values correspond to short and long telomere lengths, respectively. The median T/S value was 0.33 (range 0.06–1.18). There was an inverse correlation between telomere length and the following parameters: 1. VH homology (r=−0.56, p&lt;0.001), 2. CD38 expression (r=−0.44, p&lt;0.001) and 3. ZAP-70 expression (r=−0.25, p=0.01). Cases with T/S values below the median of 0.33 (short telomeres) and cases with T/S values above the median (long telomeres) had similar incidences of genomic aberrations (76 vs. 67%), 13q- (54 vs. 52%) and +12q (9 vs. 9%). In contrast, 13q- as a single aberration was significantly more frequently observed in cases with long telomeres (43 vs. 17%, p=0.006), whereas 11q- (30 vs. 9%, p=0.014), 17p- (24 vs. 0%, p&lt;0.001) and cases with two or more genomic aberrations (26 vs. 6%, p&lt;0.001) were significantly more frequent in cases with short telomeres. Compared to cases with long telomeres the treatment free survival from diagnosis (TFS) and overall survival (OS) in the group with short telomeres were significantly shorter (TFS: 29 vs. 67 months, p=0.002; OS: last observed death at 100 months, survival probability 57% vs. last observed death at 141 months, survival probability 77%, p=0.02). In conclusion, telomere length was inversely correlated with the VH mutation status, CD38 expression and ZAP-70 expression. Short telomeres were associated with genomic instability indicated by a high number of aberrations and the occurrence of 11q- and 17p- in CLL. These observations have biological and prognostic implications in CLL.


Blood ◽  
2008 ◽  
Vol 111 (12) ◽  
pp. 5691-5693 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dalemari Crowther-Swanepoel ◽  
Ruth Wild ◽  
Gabrielle Sellick ◽  
Martin J. S. Dyer ◽  
Francesca R. Mauro ◽  
...  

Abstract To address the proposition that familial B-cell chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) may exhibit a more restricted phenotype than sporadic CLL with respect to immunoglobulin gene usage or ontogenic development, we compared immunoglobulin (Ig) heavy chain variable region (VH) gene usage and IgVH mutation status in 327 patients with CLL from 214 families with 724 patients with sporadic cases. The frequency of mutated CLL was higher in familial CLL (P < .001), and there was evidence of intrafamilial concordance in mutation status (P < .001). The repertoire and frequency of IgVH usage was, however, not significantly different between familial and sporadic CLL. Furthermore, IgVH usage was not correlated between affected members of the same family. These observations provide evidence that familial CLL is essentially indistinguishable from sporadic CLL, favoring a genetic basis to disease development in general rather than a simple environmental etiology.


Blood ◽  
2005 ◽  
Vol 105 (12) ◽  
pp. 4807-4812 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pawel Grabowski ◽  
Magnus Hultdin ◽  
Karin Karlsson ◽  
Gerard Tobin ◽  
Anna Åleskog ◽  
...  

Abstract B-cell chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) consists of 2 prognostic entities where cases with mutated immunoglobulin VH genes have better outcome than unmutated cases. VH-mutated CLLs display longer telomeres compared with unmutated cases and telomere length has been indicated to predict outcome, although the prognostic value of telomere length has not been fully established in CLL. We analyzed telomere length, VH gene mutation status, and clinical parameters in a large series of CLL. Telomere length was assessed by quantitative polymerase chain reaction (PCR), giving a very good correlation to telomere length estimated by Southern blotting (P &lt; .001). The prognostic information given by mutation status (n = 282) and telomere length (n = 246) was significant (P &lt; .001, respectively). Telomere length was a prognostic factor for stage A (P = .021) and stage B/C (P = .018) patients, whereas mutation status predicted outcome only in stage A patients (P &lt; .001). Furthermore, mutated CLLs were subdivided by telomere length into 2 groups with different prognoses (P = .003), a subdivision not seen for unmutated cases (P = .232). Interestingly, the VH-mutated group with short telomeres had an overall survival close to that of the unmutated cases. Thus, by combining VH mutation status and telomere length, an improved subclassification of CLL was achieved identifying previously unrecognized patient groups with different outcomes. (Blood. 2005;105:4807-4812)


Blood ◽  
2007 ◽  
Vol 110 (11) ◽  
pp. 4708-4708
Author(s):  
Lijuan Chen ◽  
Yaping Zhang ◽  
Wenjuuan Zheng ◽  
Jianyong Li ◽  
Changgeng Ruan

Abstract Chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) is characterized by the relentless accumulation of monoclonal B cells with the appearance of small mature lymphocytes and a characteristic CD5 and CD19 co-expression immunophenotype. The incidence of CLL in Asian countries is lower than that in the Western ones, where CLL is the most common leukemia. To evaluate the frequency and mutation status of immunoglobulin (Ig) variable heavy chain gene (IgVH) expression in Chinese patients with CLL. We investigated IgVH gene segments usage and mutation status by multiplex RT-PCR in 52 CLL patients, and analyzed the relationship between IgVH somatic mutation status and the expression of CD38, ZAP-70 and CLLU1. 38 patients had mutated IgVH, and 14 had unmutated IgVH. The most frequently expressed VH gene family was found to be VH3 (46.2%) followed by VH4 (40.4%), VH1 (5.8%), VH2 (5.8%) and VH7 (1.9%), with no expression of VH5 and VH6 gene families. VH1-69 and VH3-21 which commonly overused in Western CLL weren’t detected in our cohort. The frequency of IgVH gene families indicates significant difference in Chinese CLL patients compared with Western patients, suggesting involvement of ethnic and/or environmental factors in CLL disease initiation. IgVH gene mutation status was significantly associated with the expression of CD38 and CLLU1. The expression of them may be simple and reliable surrogates for the identification of IgVH mutations. VH gene family usage and mutation status VH family n Mutated VH gene Unmutated VH gene VH1 3 3 0 VH2 3 2 1 VH3 24 19 5 VH4 21 16 5 VH5 0 0 0 VH6 0 0 0 VH7 1 0 1


Blood ◽  
2012 ◽  
Vol 120 (21) ◽  
pp. 3873-3873
Author(s):  
Alfons Navarro ◽  
Gerardo Ferrer ◽  
Marina Díaz-Beyá ◽  
Carmen Muñoz ◽  
Rut Tejero ◽  
...  

Abstract Abstract 3873 Introduction: Disruption of normal DNA methylation, including both gene specific hypermethylation and genome-wide hypomethylation, is found in most malignant tumors. Most epigenetic studies in chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) have been focused in CpG islands and gene promoter regions, and have identified hypomethylated genes, such as BCL2 or TCL1, and hypermethylated genes, such as GRM7. However, the quantification of overall methylation measured as levels of 5-methylCytosine (5mC) has been poorly explored. As compared to their normal counterparts (CD19+ B cells), overall hypomethylation has been observed in CLL neoplastic cells. Importantly, the overall methylation varies among patients but its clinical significance has not been widely investigated. In addition, it is known that microRNA (miRNA) expression is altered in CLL, and that and epigenetic mechanisms, such as methylation, can affect miRNA expression. Aim: To investigate the prognostic impact of overall methylation in patients with CLL and to analyze the correlation of 5mC levels with miRNAs expression. Methods: We analyzed 73 CLL patients (median age, 69 [range, 34–86]; 43% males) diagnosed in our institution between 1992 and 2007. The median follow up was 10.5 years. The level of global methylation in total DNA was estimated after determination of percentage of 5mC using anti-5mC monoclonal antibodies (MethylFlash Methylated DNA Quantification Kit, Epigentek). The expression of 377 mature miRNAs was analyzed using TaqMan Array Human MicroRNA A Card v2.0 (Applied Biosystems). Statistical analysis was performed with SPSS version 15.0.1 and R software version 2.9.0. MaxStat package of R were used to determine the optimal cutoffs and Quantitative trail function in BRB array tools to correlate miRNA expression and methylation levels. Results: The analysis of methylation levels showed a wide distribution of methylation degree among patients (median: 3.02%, range: 0.58–6.14%). From the clinical standpoint, methylation levels were only correlated with Binet clinical stage, patients with C stage showing a higher degree of methylation (p=0.015). Using MaxStat, we identified two cutoffs which classified patients as having low, medium or high degree of methylation. Mean progression-free survival (PFS) was 8.4 years (95% CI: 6.4–10.4), 6.2 years (95% CI: 4.7–7.7) and 3.2 years (95% CI: 2.4–4.8) for patients with low, medium, and high methylation levels, respectively (p=0.013). In the multivariate analysis for PFS (including ZAP70, IGHV, Age≤65, cytogenetics and global methylation), high ZAP70 expression (HR: 3; 95%CI: 1.1–7.9; p=0.026) and high global methylation (HR: 5.4 95%CI: 1.7–17.1; p=0.004) were independent unfavorable prognostic factors, while a significant trend was observed for high-risk cytogenetics (17p-, 11q-, +12) (p=0.054). Interestingly, methylation levels retained its prognostic significance in subgroup analysis: clinical stage A (p=0.06) and B/C (p=0.009); mutated (p=0.008) and unmutated IGHV (p=0.028); low (p=0.028) and high ZAP70 (p=0.001); and low-risk (normal karyotype, 13q-)(p=0.008) and high-risk (17p-, 11q-, +12) cytogenetics (p=0.001). Finally, we identified a 4-miRNA signature associated with global methylation levels: miR-103 (Spearman correlation [SC]: −0.821;p=0.03), miR-132 (SC: 0.786;p=0.05), miR-494 (SC: −0.786; p=0.02), and miR-193a-5p (SC: 0.786; p=0.05). Interestingly, miR-103, miR-132 and miR-494 are located in subtelomeric regions, which are known to be more susceptible to overall methylation changes. Conclusions: In this study, the degree of global DNA methylation was an independent prognostic factor for PFS in patients with CLL. The analysis of overall methylation could be useful not only for the prognosis of patients with CLL but also in the monitoring of clinical trials in which hypomethylating agents (e.g., decitabine) are being investigated as CLL therapy. The correlation between overall methylation levels and certain miRNAs may be a surrogate marker of epigenetic lesions and deserves further investigation. Disclosures: No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.


Blood ◽  
1999 ◽  
Vol 94 (6) ◽  
pp. 1848-1854 ◽  
Author(s):  
Terry J. Hamblin ◽  
Zadie Davis ◽  
Anne Gardiner ◽  
David G. Oscier ◽  
Freda K. Stevenson

Abstract Despite having several characteristics of naı̈ve B cells, chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) cells have been shown in some cases to have somatically mutated Ig variable region genes, indicating that the cell of origin has passed through the germinal center. A previous study of patients with CLL found an association between lack of somatic mutation and trisomy 12 and, therefore, possibly with a less favorable prognosis. We have sequenced the Ig VH genes of the tumor cells of 84 patients with CLL and correlated our findings with clinical features. A total of 38 cases (45.2%) showed ≥ 98% sequence homology with the nearest germline VH gene; 46 cases (54.8%) showed &gt;2% somatic mutation. Unmutated VH genes were significantly associated with V1-69 and D3-3 usage, with atypical morphology; isolated trisomy 12, advanced stage and progressive disease. Survival was significantly worse for patients with unmutated VH genes irrespective of stage. Median survival for stage A patients with unmutated VH genes was 95 months compared with 293 months for patients whose tumors had mutated VHgenes (P = .0008). The simplest explanation is that CLL comprises 2 different diseases with different clinical courses. One, arising from a memory B cell, has a benign course, the other, arising from a naı̈ve B cell, is more malignant.


Blood ◽  
2009 ◽  
Vol 114 (18) ◽  
pp. 3872-3879 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rosa Visone ◽  
Laura Z. Rassenti ◽  
Angelo Veronese ◽  
Cristian Taccioli ◽  
Stefan Costinean ◽  
...  

Abstract Chromosomal abnormalities, immunoglobulin heavy chain variable–region (IGHV) gene mutation status, and ζ-associated protein 70 (ZAP-70) expression levels have independent prognostic relevance in chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL); however, their concordance is variable. Because deregulation of microRNAs has been linked to disease initiation and progression in CLL, we studied the value of the microRNAs as a signature for CLL patients with specific chromosomal abnormalities. We identified 32 microRNAs able to discriminate the 11q deletion, 17p deletion, trisomy 12, 13q deletion, and normal karyotype cytogenetic subgroups. The expression values of 9 among the 32 microRNAs (miR-151-3p, miR-34a, miR-29c, miR-29b, miR-155, miR-148a, miR-146a, miR-146b5p, and miR-640) were correlated with gene expression data from the same samples to assess their biologic impact on CLL. In this study we also found that IGHV unmutated, high expression of ZAP-70 protein, and low expression of the miR-223, miR-29c, miR-29b, and miR-181 family were strongly associated with disease progression in CLL cases harboring 17p deletion, whereas in those harboring trisomy 12 only high expression of the miR-181a, among the analyzed parameters, suggested more aggressive disease. Thus, the use of the microRNA-based classifications may yield clinically useful biomarkers of tumor behavior in CLL.


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