Identification of genes whose expression patterns differ in benign lymphoid tissue and follicular, mantle cell, and small lymphocytic lymphoma

Improved methods for diagnosing small B-cell lymphomas (SBCLs) and predicting patient response to therapy are likely to result from the ongoing discovery of molecular markers that better define these malignancies. In this report, we identify 120 genes whose expression patterns differed between reactive lymph node tissue and three types of SBCL: follicular lymphoma, mantle cell lymphoma, and chronic lymphocytic leukemia/small lymphocytic lymphoma. Whereas previously published studies have generally analyzed the gene expression profiles of one type of SBCL, work presented in this paper was intended to identify genes that are differentially expressed between three SBCL subtypes. This analysis was performed using mRNA pooled from multiple specimens representing each tissue type. Quantitative reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) was used to validate the differential expression of 23 of these genes. Among the 23 validated genes were cyclin D1 (CCND1) and B-cell CLL/ lymphoma 2, which have well-known roles in lymphoma pathogenesis. The remaining 21 genes have no currently established role in lymphoma development. Using qRT-PCR, the expression of CCND1 and seven additional genes was further studied in a panel of individual specimens. Genes identified in this study are of biological interest and represent candidate diagnostic markers.