Cell cycle progression of chronic lymphocytic leukemia cells is controlled by cyclin D2, cyclin D3, cyclin-dependent kinase (cdk) 4 and the cdk inhibitor p27.

B-CLL cells are arrested in G0/early G1 phase of the cell cycle and are characterized by a marked hyporesponsiveness towards a variety of polyclonal B cell activators. We have previously demonstrated that costimulation with CpG-ODN and IL-2 can overcome this proliferative defect. Cyclin D3 is the principal D-type cyclin which mediates G1 progression in normal B cells, but in B-CLL cells both cyclin D2 and cyclin D3, were strongly upregulated upon stimulation. Both cyclins were associated with cdk4 but not with cdk6, which is the catalytic partner of D-type cyclins in normal B cells. Moreover, immune complexes consisting of cyclin D2 and cdk4 or cyclin D3 and cdk4 were both functional and phosphorylated the RB protein in vitro. The cell cycle inhibitor p27 plays a pivotal role in cell cycle progression of B lymphocytes and has been shown to be overexpressed in B-CLL cells. P27 was rapidly downregulated in B-CLL cells even when stimulated with a non-CpG-ODN or IL-2 alone, while only moderate regulation could be observed in normal B cells. Taken together, our findings demonstrate that regulation of early cell cycle progression differs between B-CLL cells and normal B cells. These findings do not only contribute to the understanding of B-CLL pathophysiology, but might ultimately lead to the identification of new therapeutic targets.