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Quantitative analysis of bcl-2 expression in normal and leukemic human B-cell differentiation

Leukemia volume 18, pages 491–498 (2004)Cite this article

Abstract

Lack of apoptosis has been linked to prolonged survival of malignant B cells expressing bcl-2. The aim of the present study was to analyze the amount of bcl-2 protein expressed along normal human B-cell maturation and to establish the frequency of aberrant bcl-2 expression in B-cell malignancies. In normal bone marrow (n=11), bcl-2 expression obtained by quantitative multiparametric flow cytometry was highly variable: very low in both CD34+ and CD34− B-cell precursors, high in mature B-lymphocytes and very high in plasma cells. Bcl-2 expression of mature B-lymphocytes from peripheral blood (n=10), spleen (n=8) and lymph node (n=5) was significantly higher (P<0.02) in CD23− as compared to CD23+ B cells, independent of the type of tissue analyzed. Upon comparison with normal human B-cell maturation, bcl-2 expression in neoplastic B cells from 144 patients was found to be aberrant in 66% of the cases, usually corresponding to bcl-2 overexpression (63%). Follicular lymphoma (FL) carrying t(14;18) and MALT lymphoma were the only diagnostic groups constantly showing overexpression of bcl-2. Bcl-2 overexpression was also frequently found in precursor B-acute lymphoblastic leukemia (84%), typical (77%) and atypical (75%) B-cell chronic lymphocytic leukemia, prolymphocytic leukemia (two of three cases), mantle cell lymphoma (55%), but not in t(14;18)− FL, splenic marginal zone lymphoma, Burkitt lymphoma and multiple myeloma.

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Acknowledgements

P Menéndez was supported by a grant from Fondo de Investigaciones Sanitarias, Madrid, Spain (FIS, BEFI 98/9669). This work was supported in part by a grant from the Red Temática “Mieloma mùltiple y otras gammapatias monoclonales”. Fondo de Investigación Sanitaria, Ministerio de Sanidad y Consumo, Madrid, Spain.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Servicio General de Citometría, Universidad de Salamanca, Salamanca, Spain

    P Menendez, C Bueno, S Barrena, J Almeida, M de Santiago, A López & A Orfao

  2. Departamento de Medicina and Centro de Investigación del Cáncer, Universidad de Salamanca, Salamanca, Spain

    P Menendez, C Bueno, S Barrena, J Almeida, M de Santiago, A López, S Roa, J F San Miguel & A Orfao

  3. Departamento de Patología Clínica, Servicio de Inmunodiagnóstico, Hospital Nacional Edgardo Rebagliati Martins, Lima, Perú

    A Vargas

  4. Servicio de Hematología, Hospital Universitario, Salamanca, Spain

    J F San Miguel

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Correspondence to A Orfao.

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Menendez, P., Vargas, A., Bueno, C. et al. Quantitative analysis of bcl-2 expression in normal and leukemic human B-cell differentiation. Leukemia 18, 491–498 (2004). https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.leu.2403231

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