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The effects of CpG ODN on CLL proliferation, apoptosis or phenotype could have an impact on its clinical utility

Leukemia volume 21, pages 2354–2355 (2007)Cite this article

We have read with great interest the recent article by PG Longo et al.1 about different proliferative capacities of chronic lymphocytic leukemia B cells (CLL) from patients with progressive and stable disease. In their discussion Longo et al. refer to our work and conclude from their and our data that CpG oligodeoxynucleotide (ODN) may not be effective in patients with poor prognosis CLL that are most likely to require treatment.

Longo et al. emphasize in their introduction that a high leukemic cell birth rate has been found to correlate with disease progression, indicating that the difference in clinical course may, at least in part, be determined by the proliferative capacity of the CLL cells. In their publication Longo et al. demonstrate that the overall proliferative response to CpG ODN of mutated CLL cells (poor prognosis group) is higher than that of unmutated CLL cells (good prognosis group).1 The authors cite our findings that CpG ODN induce apoptosis primarily in CLL samples with favorable but not with unfavorable cytogenetic aberrations.2 While this conclusion is consistent with the measurement of the direct effect of CpG ODN on the viability of the CLL cells in vitro, we believe it reflects only one aspect of our findings and therefore would like to comment on the conclusions made by the authors.

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References

  1. Longo PG, Laurenti L, Gobessi S, Petlickovski A, Pelosi M, Chiusolo P et al. The Akt signaling pathway determines the different proliferative capacity of chronic lymphocytic leukemia B-cells from patients with progressive and stable disease. Leukemia 2007; 21: 110–120.

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  2. Jahrsdörfer B, Wooldridge JE, Blackwell SE, Taylor CM, Griffith TS, Link BK et al. Immunostimulatory oligodeoxynucleotides induce apoptosis of B cell chronic lymphocytic leukemia cells. J Leukoc Biol 2005; 77: 378–387.

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  3. Jahrsdörfer B, Wooldridge JE, Blackwell SE, Taylor CM, Link BK, Weiner GJ . Good prognosis cytogenetics in B-cell chronic lymphocytic leukemia is associated in vitro with low susceptibility to apoptosis and enhanced immunogenicity. Leukemia 2005; 19: 759–766.

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  4. Jahrsdörfer B, Hartmann G, Racila E, Jackson W, Muhlenhoff L, Meinhardt G et al. CpG DNA increases primary malignant B-cell expression of costimulatory molecules and target antigens. J Leukoc Biol 2001; 69: 81–88.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Clinical Pharmacology, University of Ulm, Helmholtzstr, Ulm, Germany

    B Jahrsdorfer

  2. Department of Internal Medicine, University of Iowa, Holden Comprehensive Cancer Center, Iowa City, IA, USA

    S Blackwell & G Weiner

Authors
  1. B Jahrsdorfer
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  2. S Blackwell
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  3. G Weiner
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Correspondence to G Weiner.

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Jahrsdorfer, B., Blackwell, S. & Weiner, G. The effects of CpG ODN on CLL proliferation, apoptosis or phenotype could have an impact on its clinical utility. Leukemia 21, 2354–2355 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.leu.2404870

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