Bcl-6 and bcl-2 protein expression in diffuse large B-cell lymphoma and follicular lymphoma: Correlation with 3q27 and 18q21 chromosomal abnormalities

The bcl-2 gene on chromosome 18 at q21 and the bcl-6 gene on chromosome 3 a t q27 are both highly regulated during B-cell differentiation and show an i nverse relationship of expression in the normal secondary lymphoid follicle . The objective of this study was to investigate the relationship between b cl-2 and bcl-6 protein expression and the relationship between protein expr ession and the corresponding chromosomal alterations in malignant lymphomas , including those associated with the germinal center. Expression of bcl-2 and bcl-6 proteins was studied in 55 cases of diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) and 21 cases of follicular lymphoma (FL), and the results correlat ed with the presence of t(14;18) and 3q27 abnormalities in a subset of 52 c ases with cytogenetic analysis. These cases were selected to represent a sp ectrum of nodal and extranodal lymphomas, including those with and without a t(14;18), It was shown that the neoplastic cells in 71% of DLBCLs and 100 % of FLs expressed bcl-6 protein. Expression of bcl-6 was seen more frequen tly in diffuse large B-cell lymphomas with large noncleaved morphology comp ared with immunoblastic morphology (82% v 27%, P = .0015), but failed to co rrelate with 3q27 abnormalities, Thirty-eight percent of cases with 3q27 ab normalities were bcl-6 protein negative, whereas 85% of cases without a 3q2 7 abnormalities were bcl-6 protein positive. Expression of bcl-2 protein wa s shown in 51% DLBCLs (nodal v extranodal, 71% v 30%, P = .012). bcl-2 prot ein was expressed in 89% of FLs with t(14;18), in contrast to 25% of FLs, w ithout t(14;18) (P = .016). In DLBCL and FL with t(14;18), the most common pattern of expression was bcl-2(+)/bcl-6(+). In lymphomas without t(14;18), there was not an inverse relationship between bcl-2 and bcl-6 protein expr ession. In conclusion, these data suggest that mechanisms other than gene r earrangements can deregulate bcl-2 and bcl-6 expression in lymphomas, and t here does not appear to be an inverse relationship between these two protei ns as seen in the normal germinal center. Copyright (C) 1999 by W.B. Saunde rs Company.