CD81 protein is expressed at high levels in normal germinal center B cells and in subtypes of human lymphomas.
CD81 is a tetraspanin cell surface protein that regulates CD19 expression in B lymphocytes and enables hepatitis C virus infection of human cells. Immunohistologic analysis in normal hematopoietic tissue showed strong staining for CD81 in normal germinal center B cells, a cell type in which its increased expression has not been previously recognized. High-dimensional flow cytometry analysis of normal hematopoietic tissue confirmed that among B- and T-cell subsets, germinal center B cells showed the highest level of CD81 expression. In more than 800 neoplastic tissue samples, its expression was also found in most non-Hodgkin lymphomas. Staining for CD81 was rarely seen in multiple myeloma, Hodgkin lymphoma, or myeloid leukemia. In hierarchical cluster analysis of diffuse large B-cell lymphoma, staining for CD81 was most similar to other germinal center B cell-associated markers, particularly LMO2. By flow cytometry, CD81 was expressed in diffuse large B-cell lymphoma cells independent of the presence or absence of CD10, another germinal center B-cell marker. The detection of CD81 in routine biopsy samples and its differential expression in lymphoma subtypes, particularly diffuse large B-cell lymphoma, warrant further study to assess CD81 expression and its role in the risk stratification of patients with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma.
Luo
Robert F
RF
Department of Pathology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA.
Zhao
Shuchun
S
Tibshirani
Robert
R
Myklebust
June H
JH
Sanyal
Mrinmoy
M
Fernandez
Rosemary
R
Gratzinger
Dita
D
Marinelli
Robert J
RJ
Lu
Zhi Shun
ZS
Wong
Anna
A
Levy
Ronald
R
Levy
Shoshana
S
Natkunam
Yasodha
Y
D015703:Antigens, CD / Q000378:metabolism*; D001402:B-Lymphocytes / Q000378:metabolism*; D016000:Cluster Analysis; D005434:Flow Cytometry; D018858:Germinal Center / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008198:Lymph Nodes / Q000378:metabolism; D008228:Lymphoma, Non-Hodgkin / Q000378:metabolism*; D014066:Palatine Tonsil / Q000378:metabolism; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000378:metabolism; D060225:Tetraspanin 28; D013950:Thymus Gland / Q000378:metabolism; D046888:Tissue Array Analysis
D015703:Antigens, CD; C554798:CD81 protein, human; D060225:Tetraspanin 28