title: Circulating myeloid dendritic cell directly isolated from patients with chronic myelogenous leukemia are functional and carry the bcr-abl translocation.
abstract: Leukemic bcr-abl positive dendritic cells (DCs) are likely to be present in vivo in chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML) patients, but no data are available on their functional qualities. We analyzed the circulating BDCA-1+ myeloid DC compartment in 15 chronic phase CML patients. Phenotypic features of CML DCs were comparable with that of normal DCs, except for the CD80 and CD40 antigens, significantly under-represented in CML patients. Nonetheless, no differences were found between normal samples and leukemic DCs in the allostimulatory ability, as well as in the production of cytokines and polarization of T cell responses. CML DCs were analyzed by fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) and found positive for the bcr-abl translocation. However, when bcr-abl+ DCs were tested for their ability to stimulate an autologous T-cell response in vitro, we could not detect a specific recognition. We conclude that an apparently normal circulating DC compartment carrying the Ph+ chromosome can be identified in CML patients; however, these cells appear unable to trigger a protective anti-leukemic immune response in autologous T cells.
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento di Biotecnologie Cellulari ed Ematologia, University "La Sapienza", Via Benevento 6, 00161 Rome, Italy. orsini@bce.uniroma1.it
authors.forename: Enrica
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Orsini
authors.forename: Elisabetta
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Calabrese
authors.forename: Roberta
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Maggio
authors.forename: Alessia
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Pasquale
authors.forename: Mauro
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Nanni
authors.forename: Stefania
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Trasarti
authors.forename: Agostino
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Tafuri
authors.forename: Anna
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Guarini
authors.forename: Robert
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Foa
mesh_terms: D018949:Antigens, CD1 / Q000187:drug effects / Q000276:immunology*; D015496:CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology; D018414:CD8-Positive T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology; D016207:Cytokines / Q000276:immunology; D003713:Dendritic Cells / Q000166:cytology / Q000187:drug effects / Q000276:immunology*; D016044:Fusion Proteins, bcr-abl / Q000235:genetics*; D006801:Humans; D016130:Immunophenotyping; D017404:In Situ Hybridization, Fluorescence / Q000379:methods; D015464:Leukemia, Myelogenous, Chronic, BCR-ABL Positive / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000235:genetics*; D008070:Lipopolysaccharides / Q000494:pharmacology; D010641:Phenotype; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D014178:Translocation, Genetic / Q000235:genetics*
chemical_list: D018949:Antigens, CD1; D016207:Cytokines; D008070:Lipopolysaccharides; D016044:Fusion Proteins, bcr-abl