Optimal Use of Biomarkers in Oncology: Expression of Activation-induced Cytidine Deaminase (AID/AICDA) in Follicular Lymphoma

Abstract

Follicular lymphoma (FL), which originates in germinal center B-lymphocytes, has been recognized to be a heterogeneous entity in some patients developing progressive or transformed diseases. Secondary genetic events after t(14;18) translocation have been associated with this histological transformation, such as c-myc amplification and/or translocation. Activation-induced cytidine deaminase (AID/AICDA) is required for somatic hyper-mutation and class switch recombination of immunoglobulin genes, and c-myc translocation of the germinal centre derived B-cell lymphoma. The role of AID in FL pathogenesis has not been established. Here we tried to identify the significance of AID associated with c-myc in the progression of FL, and showed that switched-off AID or a low expression of AID after c-myc amplification might correlate to rapidly progressive FL as well as to overall clinical outcomes.