Homeostatic chemokines drive migration of malignant B cells in patients with non-Hodgkin lymphomas.

This study investigated the role of several chemokines and their receptors on malignant B lymphocytes recovered from 13 patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), 9 with hairy cell leukemia (HCL), 5 with mantle cell lymphoma (MCL), 5 with marginal zone B-cell lymphoma (MZL), 6 with small lymphocytic lymphoma (SLL), and 5 with follicular cell lymphoma (FCL). Flow cytometry analysis demonstrated that CXCR4 and CXCR5 were expressed on all malignant and normal B cells. Considering CC receptors, CCR1 was expressed in 70% of patients with CLL and 40% of those with HCL but was lacking in patients with MCL, MZL, SLL, and normal B cells.

T cells in the lung of patients with hypersensitivity pneumonitis accumulate in a clonal manner.

Hypersensitivity pneumonitis (HP) is characterized by an alveolitis sustained by CD8(+) T lymphocytes showing a limited expression of the T cell receptor (TCR). We previously demonstrated that a bias in T cell selection occurs in the lower respiratory tract of patients with HP, with a compartmentalization in the lung of CD8(+) T cells bearing (TCR)-beta variable (TCRBV) #2, 3, 5, 6, 8, and 13 gene segments. We herein characterized the clonal T cell populations present in the lung and in the blood of patients with HP.

Expression and function of KIR and natural cytotoxicity receptors in NK-type lymphoproliferative diseases of granular lymphocytes.

Using monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) specific for different natural killer (NK) receptors, we studied the lymphocyte population from 18 patients with NK-type lymphoproliferative disease of granular lymphocytes (LDGL). The analysis of both resting and cultured NK cell populations demonstrated that these patients are frequently characterized by NK cells displaying a homogeneous staining with given anti-killer Ig-like receptor (anti-KIR) mAb (11 of 18 patients). In most patients NK cells were characterized by the CD94/NKG2A+ phenotype, whereas only a minor fraction of the cases expressed CD94/NKG2C.

Upregulation of CXCR1 by proliferating cells in patients with lymphoproliferative disease of granular lymphocytes.

The expression and the functional activities of different chemokine receptors (CC motif: CCR1, CCR2, CCR3, CCR5, CCR6; CXC motif: CXCR1, CXCR2, CXCR3, CXCR4, CXCR5) were investigated in 12 patients with lymphoproliferative disease of granular lymphocytes (LDGL). Six patients were characterized by the proliferation of CD3+ve GL and six patients by the expansion of CD3-ve GL. The interleukin 8 (IL-8/CXCL8) receptor CXCR1 was expressed in 12/12 patients, the CXCR4 in 6/12 patients (four CD3+ve and two CD3-ve) and the CXCR3 in 3/12 patients (one CD3+ve and two CD3-ve).