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Max protein expression is associated with survival of children with lymphoblastic lymphoma
Author(s) -
Yuza YUKI,
Kawakami MAKIO,
Takagi KEIZO,
Yamazaki YOJI,
Urashima MITSUYOSHI
Publication year - 1999
Publication title -
pediatrics international
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.49
H-Index - 63
eISSN - 1442-200X
pISSN - 1328-8067
DOI - 10.1046/j.1442-200x.1999.01140.x
Subject(s) - germinal center , medicine , mantle zone , immunohistochemistry , lymph , lymphoma , lymphoblastic lymphoma , pathology , cancer research , microbiology and biotechnology , b cell , immunology , antibody , t cell , biology , immune system
Overexpression of c‐ Myc in murine B lineage cells is associated with a polyclonal pre‐B cell expansion as well as development of pre‐B or B lymphoblastic lymphoma (LL) accompanied by leukemia, which mirrors the clinical features of childhood LL. Of interest, Max overexpression attenuates aberrant growth of B cells triggered by c‐ Myc . However, the clinical significance of Max in human lymphoid tissue remains to be clarified. In the present studies, we studied the expression of the c‐Myc and Max proteins in normal lymph nodes and in childhood LL. In normal lymph nodes, c‐Myc protein was expressed by the majority of cells in germinal center and marginal zone, but Max protein was expressed only by some of them. In contrast, c‐Myc and Max were absent in mantle zone. Cells positive for c‐Myc and Max expression in LL were 70.6~19.8% and 47.3~32.4%, respectively, determined by immunohistochemical staining using paraffin blocks from 23 cases of childhood LL. The survival of children with LL showing higher Max expression (≥ 30%) was significantly greater than that of lower expression (<30%; P =0.0027 using the Mantel–Cox test). These results suggest that Max protein may affect prognosis of childhood LL.