Cytokine gene expression in neoplastic B cells from human mantle cell, follicular, and marginal zone lymphomas and in their postulated normal counterparts

Cytokines may promote tumor growth by paracrine and/or autocrine pathways. Little information is available because malignant cells differ from their n ormal counterparts for the cytokine repertoire they express. Here we have i nvestigated by reverse transcription-PCR the expression of 22 cytokine gene s in neoplastic B lymphocytes from six patients with mantle cell lymphoma, 10 with follicular lymphoma, and 5 with marginal zone lymphoma and in their normal counterparts, i.e., naive, germinal center, and memory B cells, pur ified from tonsils. The overall profiles of cytokine gene expression in neo plastic B cells and in the corresponding normal B-cell subsets were similar , but some "holes" in the repertoire of malignant ver sus normal B lymphocy tes were detected. Different "hole" combinations were identified consistent ly in mantle cell lymphoma, follicular lymphoma, and marginal zone lymphoma , thus representing molecular fingerprints of each individual lymphoma enti ty.