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Abnormal levels of the α chain of the CD22 adhesion molecule may account for low CD22 surface expression in chronic lymphocytic leukemia

Leukemia volume 20, pages 877–878 (2006)Cite this article

B-cell chronic lymphocytic leukemia (B-CLL) is characterized by the accumulation of monoclonal lymphocytes coexpressing CD19, CD5 and CD23, and low levels of surface immunoglobulins (sIg), CD79b and CD22.1 This phenotypic feature correlates with defective signal transduction after antigen stimulation through the B-cell receptor (BCR). CD22 is a B-cell-specific transmembrane glycoprotein constituted by two polypeptide chains, CD22α and CD22β, of 130 and 140 kDa respectively, produced by alternative splicing of the CD22 gene. It is involved in the regulation of B-cell activation through BCR signaling, as well as in cell adhesion.2 The expression pattern of CD22 is correlated with that of IgM as in CD22-deficient mice and gene-targeted mice expressing mutated CD22 molecules, B cells have decreased surface IgM expression.3, 4 We reported that underexpression of the BCR in B-CLL cells is associated with glycosylation and folding defects of the μ and CD79a chains, but not of the CD79b.5 We investigated here the defect of CD22 surface expression in B-CLL cells by analyzing CD22α and β chains at the genetic, transcriptional and post-transcriptional level.

B cells from seven typical B-CLL patients were analyzed by flow cytometry for CD22 and IgM surface expression (Table 1a), and compared to healthy donors. IgM+ B cells ranged from 45.4 to 99.1%, with low to moderate expression (mean fluorescence intensity (MFI) from 14.7 to 61.2), which contrasted with that of normal B cells (MFI 133.9) As reported previously,1 all CLL patients expressed very low percentage and very dim expression of membrane CD22 (1.2–27.8% cells, MFI 13.2–34.6), as compared to normal B cells (74.8% cells, MFI 43.6).

Table 1 Characteristics of CLL patients and mutations in CD22 gene (a) IgM and CD22 surface expression in seven CLL patients and (b) Mutations in CD22 gene in two CLL patients
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Acknowledgements

This work was supported by Grant no R05/75-40 from the Ligue Nationale contre le Cancer, Comité de Paris. We thank Dr Daniel Scott-Algara for help with flow cytometry analysis and Mrs Reine Bouyssié for secretarial assistance.

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  1. Unité d'Immuno-Hématologie et d'Immunopathologie, Institut Pasteur, Paris, France

    B Payelle-Brogard, G Dumas, C Magnac, A I Lalanne, G Dighiero & F Vuillier

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  1. B Payelle-Brogard
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Correspondence to B Payelle-Brogard.

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Payelle-Brogard, B., Dumas, G., Magnac, C. et al. Abnormal levels of the α chain of the CD22 adhesion molecule may account for low CD22 surface expression in chronic lymphocytic leukemia. Leukemia 20, 877–878 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.leu.2404155

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