CD31/PECAM-1 impacts engraftment, growth and spread of mantle cell lymphoma cells and positively correlates with extramedullary involvement

Abstract

Platelet/endothelial cell adhesion molecule 1 (PECAM-1, CD31) is an immunoglobulin superfamily member expressed on the surface of platelets, leukocytes and endothelial cells. The role of CD31 in biology of lymphomas has not yet been systemically studied. Expression of cell surface CD31 was analyzed by flow cytometry on primary MCL cells isolated from peripheral blood, bone marrow or malignant effusions obtained from 29 newly diagnosed MCL patients. CD31 was significantly more expressed in patients with documented extranodal involvement. Knock-down of CD31 expression in JEKO1 and MINO MCL cell lines hampered their subcutaneous engraftment in immunodeficient mice and prolonged overall survival of intravenously-xenografted animals. In contrast, transgenic overexpression of CD31 accelerated growth of subcutaneous JEKO1 and MINO tumors, shortened overall survival of intravenously-xenografted mice, and resulted in significantly increased frequency of extramedullary murine tissue infiltration Our observations suggest that CD31 facilitate survival and regulate extranodal spread of MCL cells.

Keywords:

• CD31/PECAM-1
• mantle cell lymphoma
• angiogenesis
• xenografts
• extranodal involvement

Disclosure statement

The authors declare that there is no conflict of interest regarding the publication of this paper.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the Ministry of Health of the Czech Republic Grant AZV 17-28980A, Czech Science Foundation Grant GA20-25308S. Charles University Center of Excellence UNCE/MED/016, Charles University Grant PRIMUS/17/MED/9, Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports Grant LQ1604 NPU II, SVV 260371, SVV 260519, and VFN 64165.