Heterogeneity of CD34 and CD38 expression in acute B lymphoblastic leukemia cells is reversible and not hierarchically organized

Zhiwu Jiang; Manman Deng; Xinru Wei; Wei Ye; Yiren Xiao; Simiao Lin; Suna Wang; Baiheng Li; Xin Liu; Gong Zhang; Peilong Lai; Jianyu Weng; Donghai Wu; Haijia Chen; Wei Wei; Yuguo Ma; Yangqiu Li; Pentao Liu; Xin Du; Duanqing Pei; Yao Yao; Bing Xu; Peng Li

doi:10.1186/s13045-016-0310-1

Heterogeneity of CD34 and CD38 expression in acute B lymphoblastic leukemia cells is reversible and not hierarchically organized

J Hematol Oncol. 2016 Sep 22;9(1):94. doi: 10.1186/s13045-016-0310-1.

Authors

Zhiwu Jiang^{1

2

3}, Manman Deng^{4

5}, Xinru Wei^{1

2

3}, Wei Ye^{1

2

3}, Yiren Xiao^{1

2

3}, Simiao Lin^{1

2

3}, Suna Wang^{1

2

3}, Baiheng Li^{1

2

3}, Xin Liu⁶, Gong Zhang⁷, Peilong Lai⁸, Jianyu Weng⁸, Donghai Wu^{1

2}, Haijia Chen⁹, Wei Wei¹⁰, Yuguo Ma¹¹, Yangqiu Li^{12

13}, Pentao Liu¹⁴, Xin Du⁸, Duanqing Pei^{1

2}, Yao Yao¹⁵, Bing Xu^{16

17}, Peng Li^{18

19

20}

Affiliations

¹ State Key Laboratory of Respiratory Disease, Guangzhou Institutes of Biomedicine and Health, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 190 Kaiyuan Avenue, Science Park, Guangzhou, Guangdong, 510530, China.
² Key Laboratory of Regenerative Biology, South China Institute for Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine, Guangzhou Institutes of Biomedicine and Health, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, 510530, China.
³ Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine, South China Institute for Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine, Guangzhou Institutes of Biomedicine and Health, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, 510530, China.
⁴ Department of Hematology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Xiamen University, Xiamen, 361003, China.
⁵ Department of Hematology, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, 510515, China.
⁶ Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 1068 Xueyuan Avenue, Shenzhen University Town, Shenzhen, 518055, China.
⁷ Key Laboratory of Functional Protein Research of Guangdong Higher Education Institutes, Institute of Life and Health Engineering, College of Life Science and Technology, Jinan University, Guangzhou, 510632, China.
⁸ Department of Hematology, Guangdong Provincial People's Hospital, Guangzhou, 510500, China.
⁹ Guangzhou SALIAI Stem Cell Science and Technology Co. Ltd, Guangzhou, 510000, China.
¹⁰ Guangdong Cord Blood Bank, Guangzhou, 510000, China.
¹¹ Yikang Tailai Technology Co. Ltd, Guangzhou, 510530, China.
¹² Department of Hematology, Medical College, Jinan University, Guangzhou, 510632, China.
¹³ Key Laboratory for Regenerative Medicine of Ministry of Education, Jinan University, Guangzhou, 510632, China.
¹⁴ Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, Hinxton, Cambridge, CB10 1HH, England, UK.
¹⁵ Drug Discovery Pipeline, Guangzhou Institutes of Biomedicine and Health, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, 510530, China.
¹⁶ Department of Hematology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Xiamen University, Xiamen, 361003, China. xubingzhangjian@126.com.
¹⁷ Department of Hematology, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, 510515, China. xubingzhangjian@126.com.
¹⁸ State Key Laboratory of Respiratory Disease, Guangzhou Institutes of Biomedicine and Health, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 190 Kaiyuan Avenue, Science Park, Guangzhou, Guangdong, 510530, China. li_peng@gibh.ac.cn.
¹⁹ Key Laboratory of Regenerative Biology, South China Institute for Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine, Guangzhou Institutes of Biomedicine and Health, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, 510530, China. li_peng@gibh.ac.cn.
²⁰ Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine, South China Institute for Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine, Guangzhou Institutes of Biomedicine and Health, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, 510530, China. li_peng@gibh.ac.cn.

Abstract

The existence and identification of leukemia-initiating cells in adult acute B lymphoblastic leukemia (B-ALL) remain controversial. We examined whether adult B-ALL is hierarchically organized into phenotypically distinct subpopulations of leukemogenic and non-leukemogenic cells or whether most B-ALL cells retain leukemogenic capacity, irrespective of their immunophenotype profiles. Our results suggest that adult B-ALL follows the stochastic stem cell model and that the expression of CD34 and CD38 in B-ALL is reversibly and not hierarchically organized.

Keywords: B-ALL; Heterogeneity; Leukemia stem cell; Xenografts.

Publication types

Letter