CD79a promotes CNS-infiltration and leukemia engraftment in pediatric B-cell precursor acute lymphoblastic leukemia

• Published in: Communications biology Vol. 4; no. 1; pp. 73 - 6
• Main Authors: Lenk, Lennart, Carlet, Michela, Vogiatzi, Fotini, Spory, Lea, Winterberg, Dorothee, Cousins, Antony, Vossen-Gajcy, Michaela, Ibruli, Olta, Vokuhl, Christian, Cario, Gunnar, El Ayoubi, Omar, Kramer, Lisa, Ritgen, Matthias, Brüggemann, Monika, Häsler, Robert, Schrappe, Martin, Fuhrmann, Stephan, Halsey, Christina, Jeremias, Irmela, Hobeika, Elias, Jumaa, Hassan, Alsadeq, Ameera, Schewe, Denis M.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London Nature Publishing Group UK 15.01.2021; Nature Publishing Group; Nature Portfolio
• Subjects: 13; 13/31; 38/89; 42/35; 45/77; 59; 64; 64/60; 692/308/1426; 692/308/2778; 692/53/2421; 692/699/67/1990/283/2125; 82; 82/51; Acute lymphoblastic leukemia; Animal models; Biology; Biomedical and Life Sciences; Central nervous system; Infiltration; Leukemia; Life Sciences; Lymphatic leukemia; Lymphocytes B; Nervous system; Xenografts
• ISSN: 2399-3642; 2399-3642
• DOI: 10.1038/s42003-020-01591-z

Central nervous system (CNS) involvement remains a challenge in the diagnosis and treatment of acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). In this study, we identify CD79a (also known as Igα), a signaling component of the preB cell receptor (preBCR), to be associated with CNS-infiltration and –relapse in B-cell precursor (BCP)-ALL patients. Furthermore, we show that downregulation of CD79a hampers the engraftment of leukemia cells in different murine xenograft models, particularly in the CNS. Lenk et al find that the preB cell receptor (preBCR) is associated with infiltration and relapse of acute lymphoblastic leukemia in the central nervous system (CNS). They also show that downregulation of preBCR component CD79a reduces the engraftment of leukemia cells in different murine xenograft models, particularly in the CNS.