Loss of L-PHA-, PNA-, or ConA-reactive oligosaccharides is associated with a poor prognosis in human Burkitt's lymphoma.

The expression of cell surface oligosaccharides is associated with various biological phenomena. To clarify the relationship between lectin binding and the survival of patients with Burkitt's lymphoma, tumor samples from nine patients with Burkitt's lymphoma were analyzed by lectin histochemistry. Kaplan-Meier analysis showed that survival is significantly shorter for patients with negative reactivity for lectins from Phaseolus vulgaris (L-PHA), Arachis hypogaea (PNA), or Canavalia ensiformis (ConA) than for those with positive reactivity for these lectins. Immunohistochemistry for N-acetylglucosaminyltransferase V, which synthesizes beta1,6-branched oligosaccharides such as L-PHA-reactive oligosaccharides, was positive in 8 of 9 patients, but there was no correlation between its expression and that of L-PHA-reactive oligosaccharides. Collectively, a loss of L-PHA-, PNA-, or ConA-reactive oligosaccharides is closely associated with a poor prognosis in patients with Burkitt's lymphoma.