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The plasma membrane tetraspan molecule MS4A4A is selectively expressed by macrophage-lineage cells, but its function is unknown. Here we report that MS4A4A was restricted to murine and human mononuclear phagocytes and was induced during monocyte-to-macrophage differentiation in the presence of interleukin 4 or dexamethasone. Human MS4A4A was co-expressed with M2/M2-like molecules in subsets of normal tissue-resident macrophages, infiltrating macrophages from inflamed synovium and tumor-associated macrophages. MS4A4A interacted and colocalized with the β-glucan receptor dectin-1 in lipid rafts. In response to dectin-1 ligands, Ms4a4a-deficient macrophages showed defective signaling and defective production of effector molecules. In experimental models of tumor progression and metastasis, Ms4a4a deficiency in macrophages had no impact on primary tumor growth, but was essential for dectin-1-mediated activation of macrophages and natural killer (NK) cell–mediated metastasis control. Thus, MS4A4A is a tetraspan molecule selectively expressed in macrophages during differentiation and polarization, essential for dectin-1-dependent activation of NK cell–mediated resistance to metastasis.

Germinotropic lymphoproliferative disorders were previously described as localized disorders associated with coinfection by human herpes virus 8 and Epstein-Barr virus and characterized by good clinical outcome. We report the clinical, morphological, phenotypical, and molecular features of three cases of a hitherto unreported variant of Epstein-Barr virus (EBV)-positive, human herpes virus 8 (HHV8)-negative large B cell lymphoma with exclusive intrafollicular localization. All cases occurred in elderly individuals (63, 77, and 65 years old; one male, two females) without obvious immunedeficiency, who presented with high stage disease. Lymph nodes showed an effaced nodular architecture with abnormal B follicles colonized by EBV+ large, pleomorphic atypical cells, including Reed-Sternberg-like cells, showing an activated B cell phenotype (CD10-FOXP1-Bcl6-IRF4+ or CD10-FOXP1+Bcl6+IRF4+) and intense expression of CD30. No monoclonal light-chain restriction was detected by immunohistochemistry or in situ hybridization, and IGH rearrangement was polyclonal; notably, EBV clonality was detectable in one case. Lymphoma cells in all cases showed diffuse expression of the c-Myc protein, while Bcl2 was dim or negative; moreover, the strong expression of phosphorylated-STAT3 in tumor cell nuclei suggested activation of the JAK-STAT pathway. FISH analysis was performed in two cases and showed no translocations of BCL2, BCL6, MYC, and PAX5 genes. Response to treatment was poor in 2/3 patients: one died after 18 months, one is alive with disease after 12 months. The intrafollicular EBV-positive large B cell lymphoma expands the spectrum of EBV-associated lymphoproliferative disorders in immunocompetent individuals.

Background To determine the role of interferon-alpha in controlling HIV infection we phenotypically and functionally analyzed circulating plasmacytoid dendritic cells (pDC), which are known to be the highest interferon-alpha producing cells, in 33 perinatally infected HIV+ patients undergoing standard antiretroviral therapy. Methods Circulating pDC were identified by flow cytometry using anti-BDCA-2 monoclonal antibody and by measuring BDCA-2 mRNA by real-time PCR, while tissue-resident pDC were identified by immunohistochemistry. mRNA for interferon-alpha and MxA, a gene that is specifically induced by interferon-alpha, was quantified in peripheral blood cells by real-time PCR, while serum interferon-alpha protein was measured by ELISA. Results While median values of pDC, both in terms of percentage and absolute number, were not statistically different from age-matched controls, interferon-alpha mRNA was increased in HIV-infected patients. However, in a group of patients with long disease duration, having a low number of both pDC and CD4+ lymphocytes and a significant increase of serum interferon-alpha, MxA mRNA was produced at high level and its expression directly correlated with HIV RNA copy numbers. Furthermore in patients displaying a low CD4+ blood cell count, a severe depletion of pDC in the tonsils could be documented. Conclusion HIV replication unresponsive to antiretroviral treatment in perinatal-infected patients with advanced disease and pDC depletion may lead to interferon-alpha expression and subsequent induction of MxA mRNA. Thus, the latter measurement may represent a valuable marker to monitor the clinical response to therapy in HIV patients.