Polyclonal antibody targeting SOX11 cannot differentiate mantle cell lymphoma from B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphomas.

OBJECTIVES

To determine whether SOX11 is a diagnostic marker of mantle cell lymphoma (MCL).

METHODS

We analyzed SOX11 expression in 349 B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphomas (B-NHLs) via immunohistochemistry.

RESULTS

Nuclear staining of SOX11 was observed in 54 (93.1%) of 58 MCLs. We noticed that SOX11 protein was also expressed on the nuclei in 8 (21.6%) of 37 B-lymphoblastic lymphomas, 45 (32.6%) of 138 diffuse large B-cell lymphomas, 15 (44.1%) of 34 follicular lymphomas, 8 (30.8%) of 26 Burkitt lymphomas, 2 (10.0%) of 20 chronic lymphocytic leukemia/small cell lymphomas, and 3 (18.8%) of 16 marginal zone lymphomas.

CONCLUSIONS

Although the positive rate of SOX11 expression in MCL was significantly higher than other B-NHLs (P < .001), polyclonal antibody targeting SOX11 is not able to identify MCL from B-NHLs because the nuclear staining of SOX11 was widely positive in B-NHLs.