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Open Access 01-03-2016 | Original Article

Patients with chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL) differ in the pattern of CTLA-4 expression on CLL cells: the possible implications for immunotherapy with CTLA-4 blocking antibody

Authors: Lidia Ciszak, Irena Frydecka, Dariusz Wolowiec, Aleksandra Szteblich, Agata Kosmaczewska

Published in: Tumor Biology | Issue 3/2016

Abstract

Recently, systemic administration of a human monoclonal antibody directed against cytotoxic T lymphocyte-associated antigen 4 (CTLA-4) expressed on circulating T cells in patients with chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL) has been considered. Also, CLL cells have been shown to express CTLA-4, increased levels of which in the leukaemic compartment are a predictor of good clinical outcome. Since both CLL and Treg microenvironment cells can be targeted by the CTLA-4 blocking antibody in this immunotherapy approach, the investigation of the functional effect of CTLA-4 blockade on CLL cells might be of potential clinical relevance. The main aim of this study was to examine the effect of CTLA-4 blockade on proliferation activity and apoptosis of CLL cells in patients with low and high CTLA-4 expression. We found that in the high CTLA-4-expressing CLL group, CTLA-4 blockade on the CLL cell surface resulted in a significant increase in the median percentages of Ki67⁺ cells and a tendency to decrease in the proportion of apoptotic cells. In contrast, in the low CTLA-4 expressors, CTLA-4 blockade did not affect the proliferation activity or the frequency of apoptosis. This study reports for the first time the different effect of CTLA-4 blockade on CLL cells in CLL patients depending on the levels of CTLA-4 expression. CTLA-4 blockade seems to induce pro-survival signals in leukaemic cells from CLL patients exhibiting high CTLA-4 expression, suggesting that an immunotherapy approach based on the systemic use of monoclonal anti-CTLA-4 antibodies could be an unfavourable strategy for some CLL patients.

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Title: Patients with chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL) differ in the pattern of CTLA-4 expression on CLL cells: the possible implications for immunotherapy with CTLA-4 blocking antibody
Authors: Lidia Ciszak
Irena Frydecka
Dariusz Wolowiec
Aleksandra Szteblich
Agata Kosmaczewska
Publication date: 01-03-2016
Publisher: Springer Netherlands
Published in: Tumor Biology / Issue 3/2016
Print ISSN: 1010-4283
Electronic ISSN: 1423-0380
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13277-015-4217-1

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