title: Peripheral blood lymphocyte phenotype of ZAP-70⁺ and ZAP-70⁻ patients with B-cell chronic lymphocytic leukaemia.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Up to now, the immune status of chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) patients in association with the expression of zeta-chain-associated protein kinase 70 (ZAP-70) in leukemic cells has not been evaluated.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The aim of this work was the study of the peripheral blood (PB) T-lymphocyte phenotypes in ZAP-70-positive (ZAP-70(+)) and ZAP-70-negative (ZAP-70(-)) untreated patients with CLL.
  
  
  METHODS
  ZAP-70-, CD25-, CD3-, CD4-, and CD8-positive lymphocytes were enumerated by flow cytometry in PB of 120 untreated CLL patients. CD8+, CD3+CD4+ and CD3+CD25+ cells were counted for the non-leukemic lymphocytes.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The patients were distributed into two groups: the ZAP-70(+) group of high CLL progression (n = 61), and the ZAP-70(-) group of low CLL progression (n = 59). In the ZAP-70(+) group, the ratio CD4/CD8 (0.33 ± 0.62; p = 0.001) and the numbers of the CD3+ (34.8 ± 8.1%; p = 0.01), CD3+CD4+ (24.4% ± 4.8; p = 0.001), and CD3+CD25+ (6.2 ± 0.91%; p = 0.001) lymphocytes were reduced and the percentage of the CD8+ cells (73.1 ± 4.6%; p = 0.0001) was above the norm. In the ZAP-70(-) group, the number of the CD3+CD4+ cells (36.9 ± 6.1%; p = 0.001) was within the norm, but the numbers of the CD8+ (11.3 ± 1.1%; p = 0.0001) and CD3+ (41.2 ± 5.3%; p = 0.05) lymphocytes were reduced; the ratio CD4/CD8 (3.26 ± 0.88; p = 0.001) and the percentage of the CD3+CD25+ cells (27.1 ± 3.4%; p = 0.0001) were above the norm.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our data show that the increased CD4/CD8 ratio, caused by the reduced number of the CD8+ lymphocytes, and the increased number of CD3+CD25+ cells are characteristic for the ZAP-70(-) group (slow progressing) of untreated CLL patients. In ZAP-70(+) patients, the CD4/CD8 ratio was significantly below the norm indicating an active disease process. Results of our study contribute to identification of CLL patients with different prognosis in routine diagnostic/prognostic procedures.
authors: Riga Stradins University, Internal Diseases Department, Riga LV1007, Latvia.
authors: A
authors: A
authors: Rivkina
authors: Riga Stradins University, A. Kirchenstein Institute of Microbiology and Virology, Riga LV1067, Latvia.
authors: I
authors: I
authors: Holodnuka-Kholodyuk
authors: Riga Stradins University, A. Kirchenstein Institute of Microbiology and Virology, Riga LV1067, Latvia.
authors: M
authors: M
authors: Murovska
authors: Riga Hematology Centre, Riga LV1006, Latvia.
authors: M
authors: M
authors: Soloveichika
authors: Riga Eastern Clinical University Hospital, Chemotherapeutic and Hematological Clinic, Riga LV1038, Latvia.
authors: S
authors: S
authors: Lejniece
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D015703:Antigens, CD / Q000032:analysis*; D015704:CD4 Antigens / Q000032:analysis; D016827:CD8 Antigens / Q000032:analysis; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015451:Leukemia, Lymphocytic, Chronic, B-Cell / Q000097:blood / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000473:pathology*; D008214:Lymphocytes / Q000473:pathology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011379:Prognosis; D051746:ZAP-70 Protein-Tyrosine Kinase / Q000032:analysis*
chemical_list: D015703:Antigens, CD; D015704:CD4 Antigens; D016827:CD8 Antigens; D051746:ZAP-70 Protein-Tyrosine Kinase; C497261:ZAP70 protein, human