Follicular lymphoma-like B cells in healthy individuals: a novel intermediate step in early lymphomagenesis.
Follicular lymphoma is one of the most common adult lymphoma, and remains virtually incurable despite its relatively indolent nature. t(14;18)(q32;q21) translocation, the genetic hallmark and early initiating event of follicular lymphoma (FL) pathogenesis, is also present at low frequency in the peripheral blood of healthy individuals. It has long been assumed that in healthy individuals t(14;18) is carried by circulating quiescent naive B cells, where its oncogenic potential would be restrained. Here, we question this current view and demonstrate that in healthy individuals, t(14;18) is actually carried by an expanding population of atypical B cells issued from germinal centers, displaying genotypic and phenotypic features of FL, and prone to constitute potent premalignant FL niches. These findings strongly impact both on the current understanding of disease progression and on the proper handling of t(14;18) frequency in blood as a potential early biomarker for lymphoma.
Roulland
Sandrine
S
Centre d'Immunologie de Marseille-Luminy, Université de la Méditerranée, 13288 Marseille, France.
Navarro
Jean-Marc
JM
Grenot
Pierre
P
Milili
Michèle
M
Agopian
Julie
J
Montpellier
Bertrand
B
Gauduchon
Pascal
P
Lebailly
Pierre
P
Schiff
Claudine
C
Nadel
Bertrand
B
D016175:B-Lymphocyte Subsets / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology*; D002471:Cell Transformation, Neoplastic / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology*; D002883:Chromosomes, Human, Pair 14; D002887:Chromosomes, Human, Pair 18; D002999:Clone Cells; D006801:Humans; D007156:Immunologic Memory; D008224:Lymphoma, Follicular / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology* / Q000473:pathology*; D016192:Resting Phase, Cell Cycle / Q000276:immunology; D014178:Translocation, Genetic