Functional phenotypes and gene expression profiles of peripheral blood mononuclear cells in chronic hepatitis C patients who developed non-Hodgkin's B-cell lymphoma.
Epidemiological data have indicated a close relationship between chronic HCV infection and non-Hodgkin's B-cell lymphoma (B-NHL). In this study, functional phenotypes and gene expression profiles of PBMCs were analyzed in chronic hepatitis C (CHC) patients who developed B-NHL. The frequencies of effector CD8(+) T cells and cytotoxic natural killer cells increased in CHC patients with B-NHL compared to those in CHC patients without B-NHL. These phenotypic changes may reflect the host's immune response to neoplasia. The mRNA expression levels of several oncogenes increased in CHC patients without B-NHL, but were much higher in CHC patients with B-NHL, while mRNA levels of type I IFNs were decreased in CHC patients without B-NHL and were nearly negligible in CHC patients with B-NHL. Interestingly, the mRNA expression levels of activation-induced cytidine deaminase and caspase recruitment domain-containing proteins markedly increased in CHC patients without B-NHL but decreased in CHC patients with B-NHL. These results are discussed in view of the possible involvement of HCV infection in B-cell lymphomagenesis.
Department of Research on Blood and Biological Products, 4-7-1 Gakuen, Musashi-Murayama, Tokyo 208-0011, Japan.
Masahiko
M
Ito
Fumi
F
Mizoroki
Kenji
K
Takai
Kazunari
K
Yamaguchi
Toshiaki
T
Mizuochi
D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D005260:Female; D020869:Gene Expression Profiling; D019698:Hepatitis C, Chronic / Q000150:complications*; D006801:Humans; D007963:Leukocytes, Mononuclear / Q000276:immunology*; D016393:Lymphoma, B-Cell / Q000276:immunology* / Q000821:virology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010641:Phenotype