Monoclonal B-cell lymphocytosis (MBL) with normal lymphocyte counts is associated with decreased numbers of normal circulating B-cell subsets.
Monoclonal B-cell lymphocytosis (MBL) with normal lymphocyte counts is associated with decreased numbers of normal circulating B-cell subsets.Little is known about the distribution of normal lymphoid cells and their subsets in the peripheral blood (PB) of subjects with monoclonal B-cell lymphocytosis (MBL). In our study, we compared the absolute number of PB lymphoid cells and their subpopulations in 95 MBL cases with normal lymphocyte counts vs. 617 age-/sex-matched non-MBL healthy subjects (controls), using highly sensitive flow cytometry. MBL cases showed significantly reduced numbers of normal circulating B-cells, at the expense of immature and naive B-cells; in addition, CD4+CD8+ double-positive T-cells and CD8+ T-cells were significantly lower and higher vs. controls, respectively. Moreover, most normal B-cell subsets were significantly decreased in PB at >1% MBL-counts, vs. "low-count" MBL cases, and lower amounts of immature/naive B-cells were detected in biclonal (particularly in cases with coexisting CLL-like- and non-CLL-like B-cell clones) vs. monoclonal MBL subjects. In summary, our results show imbalanced (reduced) absolute numbers of recently produced normal circulating B-cells (e.g., immature and naıve B-cells) in MBL, which becomes more pronounced as the MBL cell count increases.
Instituto de Biologia Molecular y Celular del Cancer, Centro de Investigacion del Cancer/IBMCC, University of Salamanca, Salamanca, Spain.
Alexander W
AW
Hauswirth
Julia
J
Almeida
Wendy G
WG
Nieto
Cristina
C
Teodosio
Arancha
A
Rodriguez-Caballero
Alfonso
A
Romero
Antonio
A
López
Paulino
P
Fernandez-Navarro
Tomas
T
Vega
Martin
M
Perez-Andres
Peter
P
Valent
Ulrich
U
Jäger
Alberto
A
Orfao
D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal / Q000032:analysis*; D015703:Antigens, CD / Q000097:blood; D016175:B-Lymphocyte Subsets / Q000276:immunology* / Q000378:metabolism; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005260:Female; D005434:Flow Cytometry; D006801:Humans; D018655:Lymphocyte Count; D008218:Lymphocytosis / Q000097:blood / Q000276:immunology* / Q000378:metabolism; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010265:Paraproteinemias / Q000097:blood / Q000276:immunology* / Q000378:metabolism; D054448:Precursor Cells, B-Lymphoid / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism
D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; D015703:Antigens, CD