Neoplastic circulating endothelial cells in multiple myeloma with 13q14 deletion.
In multiple myeloma (MM), circulating endothelial cells (CECs) represent a vascular marker of angiogenesis and may reflect tumor mass. In this report, we showed that, in 5 MM patients with 13q14 deletion, CECs carried the same chromosome aberration as the neoplastic plasma cells (11%-32% of CECs with 13q14 deletion). Most of the CECs displayed immunophenotypic features of endothelial progenitor cells as they expressed CD133, a marker gradually lost during endothelial differentiation and absent on mature endothelial cells. To the contrary, in 3 patients with monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance and 13q14 deletion, CECs were cytogenetically normal and had a mature immunophenotype. In MM CECs, immunoglobulin genes were clonally rearranged. These findings suggest a possible origin of CECs from a common hemangioblast precursor that can give rise to both plasma cells and endothelial cells and point to a direct contribution of MM-derived CECs to tumor vasculogenesis and possibly to the spreading and progression of the disease.
Rigolin
Gian Matteo
GM
Hematology Section, Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Ferrara, Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria Arcispedale S. Anna, Corso Giovecca 203, 44100 Ferrara, Italy. rglgmt@unife.it
Fraulini
Chiara
C
Ciccone
Maria
M
Mauro
Endri
E
Bugli
Anna Maria
AM
De Angeli
Cristiano
C
Negrini
Massimo
M
Cuneo
Antonio
A
Castoldi
Gianluigi
G
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002872:Chromosome Deletion; D002882:Chromosomes, Human, Pair 13; D042783:Endothelial Cells / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D015321:Gene Rearrangement; D006801:Humans; D016130:Immunophenotyping; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009101:Multiple Myeloma / Q000235:genetics* / Q000473:pathology*; D009360:Neoplastic Cells, Circulating / Q000473:pathology*; D009389:Neovascularization, Pathologic / Q000209:etiology; D010950:Plasma Cells / Q000473:pathology; D013234:Stem Cells / Q000473:pathology