Grade I, II and III Follicular Lymphomas Express Ig VH Genes with Different Patterns of Somatic Mutation.

Grade I, II and III Follicular Lymphomas Express Ig VH Genes with Different Patterns of Somatic Mutation. Pathol Oncol Res. 2020 Jul 23;: Authors: Csernus B, Timár B, Fülöp Z, Matolcsy A Abstract Follicular lymphoma (FL) is an indolent, B-cell, non-Hodgkin's lymphoma with varying cytological appearance and clinical behavior. The genetic hallmark of FL is the t(14;18) translocation, and as a germinal center derived entity it is also characterized by somatic hypermutation of the immunoglobulin heavy chain (IgH) gene. In an attempt to correlate this molecular signature with the cytological grading of FL, we have analyzed the IgH variable (IgVH), regions in all cytological grades of FL. Four FL cases showing t(14;18) translocation were classified into grade I-III categories according to the current WHO guidelines. The IgVH gene segments were PCR-amplified, sequenced, and compared to their respective germline IgVH sequences. The neoplastic cells of grade I and II FLs revealed clonally related, but highly divergent IgVH gene sequences indicating the ongoing nature of somatic hypermutation. Grade III FL also showed extensive presence of somatic hypermutation, but these mutations were not associated with intraclonal divergence. Thus, these results suggest that grade I-II and grade III FL may represent different biological entities. The presence of ongoing somatic hypermutation of IgVH sequences in grade I and II FLs is compatible with di...
Source: Pathology Oncology Research - Category: Pathology Authors: Tags: Pathol Oncol Res Source Type: research