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Expression of BAFF-R (BR3) in normal and neoplastic lymphoid tissues characterized with a newly developed monoclonal antibody

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Abstract

BAFF-receptor (BAFF-R) is required for the successful maturation and survival of B-cells. We developed an anti-human BAFF-R monoclonal antibody (mAb), 8A7. The reactivity of 8A7 in normal and neoplastic tissue was examined by performing immunohistochemistry on paraffin-embedded sections. 8A7 reacted with lymphocytes in the mantle and marginal zones, but not with lymphocytes in the interfollicular area. Lymphocytes in the germinal centers were found to be negative or occasionally weakly positive for 8A7. BAFF-R expression was found only in B-cell lymphoma (44/80, positive cases/examined cases): B-lymphoblastic lymphoma 0/3, B-chronic lymphocytic leukemia/small lymphocytic lymphoma 4/4, mantle cell lymphoma 9/11, follicular lymphoma 10/14, diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) 11/25, marginal zone B-cell lymphoma 8/10, lymphoplasmacytic lymphoma 2/2, plasma cell myeloma 0/2, and Burkitt lymphoma 0/9, but not in T/NK cell lymphomas (0/19) or Hodgkin lymphoma (0/10). BAFF-R was expressed in most low-grade B-cell neoplasms and a small number of DLBCL, suggesting that BAFF-R may play an important role in the proliferation of neoplastic lymphoid cells. Thus, the mAb is very useful for further understanding of both healthy B-cell biology and its pathogenic neoplasms.

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Acknowledgements

We thank Dr. Hajime Karasuyama for the pBCMGSneo expression vector, Dr. Hidefumi Kojima for helpful discussion, and Ms. Yumiko Kanno for participating in technical assistance. We also thank the Laboratory Animal Research Center and the Laboratory of Analytical Instruments, Institute for Medical Science, Dokkyo University School of Medicine, for the use of their facilities.

A grant-in-aid for Scientic Research (c) from the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology of Japan (KAKENHI 16590410 to T.K.) and The Science Research Promotion Fund from the Promotion and Mutual Aid Corporation for Private Schools of Japan (to T.K.)

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Correspondence to Naoya Nakamura.

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Nakamura, N., Hase, H., Sakurai, D. et al. Expression of BAFF-R (BR3) in normal and neoplastic lymphoid tissues characterized with a newly developed monoclonal antibody. Virchows Arch 447, 53–60 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00428-005-1275-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00428-005-1275-6

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