Humoral immune responses against the immature laminin receptor protein show prognostic significance in patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia

J Immunol. 2008 May 1;180(9):6374-84. doi: 10.4049/jimmunol.180.9.6374.

Abstract

Chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) is characterized by a highly variable clinical course. The role of an autologous tumor-specific immune control contributing to the variable length of survival in CLL is poorly understood. We investigated whether humoral immunity specific for the CLL-associated Ag oncofetal Ag/immature laminin receptor (OFA/iLR) has a prognostic value in CLL. Among sera of 67 untreated patients with CLL, 23 (34.3%) had detectable OFA/iLR Abs that were reactive for at least one specific OFA/iLR epitope. Patients with humoral responses compared with patients with nonreactive sera had a longer progression-free survival (p = 0.029). IgG subclass analyses showed a predominant IgG1 and IgG3 response. OFA/iLR Abs were capable of recognizing and selectively killing OFA/iLR-expressing CLL cells in complement-mediated and Ab-dependent cellular cytotoxicity assays. In the analysis of 11 CLL patients after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation, 8 showed high values for OFA/iLR Abs that specifically recognized the extracellular domain of the protein, suggesting a potential role of anti-OFA/iLR-directed immune responses to the graft-vs-leukemia effect in CLL. Our data suggest that spontaneous tumor-specific humoral immune responses against OFA/iLR exist in a significant proportion of CLL patients and that superior progression-free survival in those patients could reflect autologous immune control.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Aged
  • Aged, 80 and over
  • Antibodies, Neoplasm / blood*
  • Antibodies, Neoplasm / immunology
  • Antibody Formation*
  • Antibody Specificity / immunology
  • Antigens, Neoplasm / immunology*
  • Disease-Free Survival
  • Female
  • Graft vs Leukemia Effect / immunology*
  • Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation
  • Humans
  • Immunoglobulin G / blood*
  • Immunoglobulin G / immunology
  • Leukemia, Lymphocytic, Chronic, B-Cell / blood*
  • Leukemia, Lymphocytic, Chronic, B-Cell / immunology
  • Leukemia, Lymphocytic, Chronic, B-Cell / mortality
  • Leukemia, Lymphocytic, Chronic, B-Cell / therapy
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Receptors, Laminin / immunology*
  • Ribosomal Proteins / immunology*
  • Survival Rate
  • Transplantation, Homologous

Substances

  • Antibodies, Neoplasm
  • Antigens, Neoplasm
  • Immunoglobulin G
  • RPSA protein, human
  • Receptors, Laminin
  • Ribosomal Proteins
  • oncofetal antigens