Immunoglobulin VH genes of high-grade mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue lymphomas show a high load of somatic mutations and evidence of antigen-dependent affinity maturation.

High-grade mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue (MALT) B-cell lymphoma of the stomach shares several features with its low-grade counterpart. The latter is nearly invariably associated with Helicobacter pylori, and the tumor cells of all MALT lymphomas normally express surface antigen receptors; thus, it is possible that the high-grade type, like the low-grade type, is still influenced by interaction with antigen. In the present study, we analyzed the immunoglobulin heavy chain variable (V)-region genes from eight cases of high-grade MALT lymphoma and one case of Burkitt's lymphoma of the stomach. The V-region genes revealed somatic mutations in all cases, leading to the conclusion that high-grade MALT lymphomas derive from antigen-experienced (post-) germinal center B-cells. Nonrandom distribution of replacement and silent mutations within the gene segments in seven of the eight MALT lymphomas indicated that these V-region genes were selected by antigen, at least for some period of time. Five of the cases showed an unusual mutation pattern that was suggestive of selection by autoantigen or superantigen rather than heterogeneous antigen. Analysis for intraclonal variations revealed evidence of ongoing mutations in two cases. In these cases, the tumor clones probably derived from cells affected by a germinal center B-cell reaction, as the microenvironment of the germinal center is required for maintenance of an active hypermutation mechanism. On the other hand, in another two cases, no evidence of intraclonal variations was found. Thus, either these tumor clones were derived from postgerminal center B-cells, or the hypermutation mechanism in the germinal center ceased after some period of time. Given the mutation pattern, it is possible that high-grade MALT lymphomas emerge from further transformation of low-grade MALT lymphomas with accumulation of additional mutations in the complementarity-determining regions.