Enhanced levels of both the membrane-bound and soluble forms of IgM Fc receptor (Fc?R) in patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia.
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ABSTRACT: The association of an IgM-Fc receptor (Fc?R) with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) was suggested more than 30 years ago, but its authenticity has never been formally addressed. We examined the expression of the recently identified Fc?R by B and T cells in CLL patients using receptor-specific monoclonal antibodies. CLL B cells (CD5(+)/CD19(+)) expressed much higher levels of Fc?R on their cell surface than B cells from healthy donors. Such enhanced expression was more evident in immunoglobulin heavy chain variable region (IGHV)-mutated, CD38(-) or early Rai-stage CLL than in IGHV-unmutated, CD38(+), or advanced Rai-stage CLL. Intriguingly, surface Fc?R levels also were significantly elevated in the non-CLL B cells (CD5(-)/CD19(+)) and T cells (CD5(+)/CD19(-)), especially in IGHV-mutated CLL. CLL patients also had high serum titers of Fc?R compared with healthy donors, and serum Fc?R levels correlated significantly with circulating lymphocyte numbers but not with the IGHV mutation status or Rai stage. The serum Fc?R was resolved as an ? 40-kDa protein, distinct from the cell surface Fc?R of ? 60 kDa, and it was produced by both CLL B and non-CLL B cells. Mass spectrometric analysis revealed that the serum Fc?R is a soluble form of the receptor encoded by an alternatively spliced Fc?R transcript. These findings indicate enhanced levels of both membrane-bound and soluble forms of Fc?R in CLL patients.
SUBMITTER: Li FJ
PROVIDER: S-EPMC3208298 | biostudies-literature | 2011 Nov
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature
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