Title: Characterization of follicular dendritic cells in non-Hodgkin lymphomas by multicolor fluorescence staining and digital image analysis
Abstract: Follicular dendritic cells represent a unique population of specialized antigen-presenting cells found in the primary and secondary lymphoid follicles under reactive conditions and in certain non-Hodgkin lymphomas among the reactive bystander cells of tumor. Follicular dendritic cells form a three-dimensional network to sustain the architecture of germinal center and play a pivotal role in the selection of antigen-specific B cells and their clonal expansion in the germinal center.
Recently, several gene expression profiling studies and immunohistochemical analyses in lymphoma biopsy samples have revealed that follicular dendritic cell networks might be associated with the clinical outcome in certain non-Hodgkin lymphomas. We therefore determined semiquantitatively the extent and the immunophenotype of follicular dendritic cells in both reactive germinal centers and non-Hodgkin lymphomas, namely follicular lymphoma, angioimmunoblastic T cell lymphoma and mantle cell lymphoma, using fluorescent double staining followed by digital image analysis.
In all tested non-Hodgkin lymphomas, proteins that are involved in the antigen-dependent interaction of follicular dendritic cells and B cells, such as CD23 and CD35, and in adhesion, such as CD54, were expressed at relatively low levels on follicular dendritic cells, comparable to follicular dendritic cells found in the dark zone of the germinal center, suggesting functional and phenotypical heterogeneity of follicular dendritic cells in germinal centers and non-Hodgkin lymphomas. However, there was no association between the extent of follicular dendritic cell networks with the clinical outcome of 102 patients with follicular lymphoma treated within a prospectively randomized trial as measured by time to treatment failure or overall survival.
In summary, follicular dendritic cells found in different types of non-Hodgkin lymphomas show quantitatively reduced expression of several proteins, suggesting that there are functional differences between follicular dendritic cells in normal germinal centers and non-Hodgkin lymphomas. The extent of the follicular dendritic cell networks in follicular lymphoma, however, is not useful as a prognostic mar
Publication Year: 2012
Publication Date: 2012-06-14
Language: en
Type: dissertation
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