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Stimulation of B-cell lymphoproliferations with CpG-oligonucleotide DSP30 plus IL-2 is more effective than with TPA to detect clonal abnormalities

Leukemia volume 23, pages 617–619 (2009)Cite this article

Conventional cytogenetics (CC) of B-cell lymphoproliferations remains difficult because of low mitotic in vitro activity of the leukemic cells. Therefore, mitogen stimulation of B cells is required to analyze an adequate number of metaphases. Chromosome abnormalities using CC with 12-0-tetradodecanoyl-phorbol-13-acetate (TPA) can be detected in up to 50% of chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), but the development of interphase fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) techniques has allowed the detection of selected chromosome abnormalities in nondividing cells in more than 80% of CLL.1 However, FISH is restricted, as information is available only for the genes/loci for which probes are used. So, for a comprehensive genetic analysis, CC is essential because it provides an overview of all microscopically visible chromosome abnormalities important as prognostic factors.

Bacterial DNA and synthetic oligonucleotides containing a CpG motif (CpG-ODN) can activate cells of the immune system such as monocytes, dendritic cells and B cells.2 Apart from stimulating cells, CpG-ODN have many direct effects on B-CLL cells, including upregulation of costimulatory molecules, cell cycle entry and upregulation of potential target antigens for antibody therapy. The use of the immunostimulatory CpG-oligonucleotide DSP30 to effectively induce cell cycle progression of CLL cells in vitro has been reported.3, 4, 5, 6 This proliferation is markedly enhanced upon the addition of interleukin-2 to cultures.4, 7 Recently, Haferlach et al.5 characterized 506 CLL stimulated with DSP30+IL-2. Metaphases were generated in 98.8% and aberrations detected in 83% of cases. Compared with FISH, chromosome analysis using CC resulted in the detection of additional abnormalities. The identification of subgroups with complex aberrant karyotypes suggested that CC might provide additional prognostic information.

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Acknowledgements

We thank Mariana Titorov for her editorial assistance.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Département de Cytogénétique Hématologique, Laboratoire d’Hématologie, Hôpital de Hautepierre, Strasbourg, France

    S Struski, C Gervais, C Helias & L Mauvieux

  2. Département d’Onco-Hématologie, Hôpitaux Civils de Colmar, Colmar, France

    R Herbrecht

  3. Département d’Onco-Hématologie, Hôpital de Hautepierre, Strasbourg, France

    B Audhuy

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  1. S Struski
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Correspondence to S Struski.

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Supplementary Information accompanies the paper on the Leukemia website (http://www.nature.com/leu)

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Struski, S., Gervais, C., Helias, C. et al. Stimulation of B-cell lymphoproliferations with CpG-oligonucleotide DSP30 plus IL-2 is more effective than with TPA to detect clonal abnormalities. Leukemia 23, 617–619 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1038/leu.2008.252

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