Aggressive characteristics of myeloblasts expressing CD7 in myelodysplastic syndromes

Clinical data suggest that CD7+ myeloblasts are linked with poor prognosis in myeloid malignancies including myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS). To explore the biology behind this, we compared cell characteristics between CD34+CD7+ and CD34+CD7− myeloblasts from an MDS cell line and fresh samples from MDS patients. Compared with CD34+CD7− myeloblasts, CD34+CD7+ myeloblasts showed greater proliferative capacity, more active cell cycling, and less apoptosis. In analyses of a cell line, CD34+CD7+ myeloblasts produced CD34+CD7− myeloblasts and showed lower expressions of interleukin-8 and chemokine (C–C motif) ligand 2 genes, suggesting immaturity of these cells. These findings might underlie the clinical aggressiveness in CD7+ MDS.