title: Changes in L-selectin expression on CD34-positive cells upon cryopreservation of peripheral blood stem cell transplants.
abstract: Several studies have pointed out that L-selectin on CD34-positive cells plays a role in haematopoietic reconstitution after peripheral blood stem cell (PBSC) transplantation. Since it is known that a decrease in L-selectin expression in lymphocytes and granulocytes can be induced by a variety of stress situations, we have investigated in this study whether the freeze-thawing procedure, used in PBSC transplantation, would affect L-selectin expression on CD34+ stem cells. Flow cytometry was performed by labelling the cells with anti-CD34 (HPCA2 PE) and anti-CD62L (FMC46 FITC). The leucapheresis procedure itself caused a slight decrease of L-selectin expression on CD34 cells in 11 out of 12 cases (mean decrease of the percentage of positive cells 11.9; range 6-23). A much larger decrease was found upon freeze-thawing: a mean of 39% (range 4-78% in 27 cases) compared to fresh material. To determine if L-selectin expression might be up-regulated after cryopreservation, thawed transplant samples (n = 11) were incubated at 37 degrees C in RPMI with 10% FCS at 5% CO2. Already early in the course of incubation two CD34-positive populations appeared in the blast region, characterized by either a low or high forward scatter. Simultaneous viability staining with the DNA dye 7-Amino Actinomycin D and the DNA/RNA dye Syto16 revealed that the population with low forward scatter was apoptotic while the population with the high forward scatter was non-apoptotic. The latter population is considered to be most relevant for transplantation. In this population an increase of L-selectin expression after overnight incubation was observed in 8/11 samples up to values of 46-120% of the values of the fresh nonfrozen samples. In addition, the mean fluorescence intensity was significantly increased in 10/11 cases. Kinetic experiments with shorter incubation times revealed that only part of the leucapheresis samples (two out of 8) showed an increase of L-selectin expression within 4 h. In addition, a decrease of L-selectin expression was found upon CD34 purification from fresh leucapheresis material by magnetic isolation (decrease ranging from 59 to 92%, n = 5). In contrast to frozen samples, L-selectin reappearance was seen already within 4 h of incubation in all samples. Both the loss of L-selectin expression on CD34 cells occurring upon freeze-thawing, the emergence of apoptosis, as well as the recovery of L-selectin expression on non-apoptotic cells varies largely between individual leucapheresis samples, and therefore it is concluded that such processes should be considered when correlations with clinical outcome after transplantation are made.
authors.affiliation: Department of Haematology, University Hospital Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: De Boer
authors.forename: A M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Dräger
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Van der Wall
authors.forename: H M
authors.initials: HM
authors.lastname: Pinedo
authors.forename: G J
authors.initials: GJ
authors.lastname: Schuurhuis
mesh_terms: D018952:Antigens, CD34 / Q000378:metabolism*; D002465:Cell Movement; D002470:Cell Survival; D015925:Cryopreservation; D005434:Flow Cytometry; D005615:Freezing; D018380:Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation; D006412:Hematopoietic Stem Cells / Q000166:cytology / Q000276:immunology* / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D019041:L-Selectin / Q000378:metabolism*; D007937:Leukapheresis
chemical_list: D018952:Antigens, CD34; D019041:L-Selectin