"Cold agglutinitis", autoreactive B-lymphocytes, and malignancies (review and hypothesis)

Authors
Citation
Gv. Pinchuk, "Cold agglutinitis", autoreactive B-lymphocytes, and malignancies (review and hypothesis), EXP ONCOL, 20(3-4), 1998, pp. 164-169
Citations number
61
Categorie Soggetti
Onconogenesis & Cancer Research
Journal title
EXPERIMENTAL ONCOLOGY
ISSN journal
02043564 → ACNP
Volume
20
Issue
3-4
Year of publication
1998
Pages
164 - 169
Database
ISI
SICI code
0204-3564(199809/12)20:3-4<164:"AABAM>2.0.ZU;2-3
Abstract
The so-called "cold agglutinitis" (CA) are autoreactive antibodies produced In abnormally large quantities during some autoimmune diseases and other d isorders, but especially in patients with some Forms of tumors originating from blood cells, when the production of CA is monoclonal. It is proven tha t virtually all CA-producing clones in these patients utilize a single gene segment, V4-34, for the rearrangement of their heavy chain variable region immunoglobulin genes. Analized literature data as well as results of our o wn experiments allow us to hypothesize that a significant portion of the no rmal peripheral blood V4-34-expressing B lymphocytes are in fact autoreacti ve and may be eliminated from the repertoire by a "timebomb" mechanism that goes off when the cells are activated via CD40 in peripheral lymphoid orga ns. An impairment of this "timebomb" mechanism, caused in some autoreactive , V4-34-expressing clones by oncogenic viruses or some of her unknown facto rs, may lead to unwanted survival, clonal expansion and, possibly, malignan t transformation of these clones.