Analysis of immunoglobulin VH genes in CD10-positive diffuse large B-cell lymphoma

CD10, a proteolytic enzyme seen in germinal center cells and in the majority of follicular lymphomas, is occasionally expressed in diffuse large B-cell lymphomas (DLBCL). To clarify the origin and cellular characteristics of CD10-positive DLBCL, we analyzed 36 de novo cases of DLBCL for somatic mutations of the immunoglobulin heavy chain variable region (VH) genes and for their immunophenotypes. Expression greater than that of grade 2 Bcl-6 was observed in 11 of the 30 CD10-negative cases (37%) and in all six CD10-positive cases (100%; P < 0.05) without expression of CD5, CD23, cyclin D1, CD30 or CD138. The average mutation frequencies of the six CD10-positive and 30 CD10-negative DLBCL were 12.9 and 9.8%, respectively. The range of SM frequencies in CD10-positive DLBCL (9.52–18.06) was distinctly narrower than that observed for CD10-negative DLBCL (0.69–26.89). These findings seem to indicate that CD10-positive DLBCL, originating from germinal center B cells, is a genetically and immunophenotypically more homogeneous group than CD10-negative DLBCL. Furthermore, three extranodal lymphomas, in five of the six CD10-positive DLBCL, showed ongoing mutation, indicating that antigen-driven, high-affinity somatic mutation may play an important role in clonal expansion in CD10-positive DLBCL. All four extranodal cases of the six CD10-positive DLBCL showed ongoing mutation and/or bcl-2/JH rearrangement. This result suggests that the cell origin of extranodal CD10-positive DLBCL may be the same as that of follicular lymphomas.