IGLV3-21R110 identifies an aggressive biological subtype of chronic lymphocytic leukemia with intermediate epigenetics

Abstract

B-cell receptor (BCR) signaling is crucial for chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) biology. IGLV3-21–expressing B cells may acquire a single point mutation (R110) that triggers autonomous BCR signaling, conferring aggressive behavior. Epigenetic studies have defined 3 CLL subtypes based on methylation signatures reminiscent of naïve-like (n-CLL), intermediate (i-CLL), and memory-like (m-CLL) B cells with different biological features. i-CLL carries a borderline IGHV mutational load and significantly higher use of IGHV3-21/IGLV3-21. To determine the clinical and biological features of IGLV3-21^R110 CLL and its relationship to these epigenetic subtypes, we characterized the immunoglobulin gene of 584 CLL cases using whole-genome/exome and RNA sequencing. IGLV3-21^R110 was detected in 6.5% of cases: 30 (38%) of 79 i-CLLs, 5 (1.7%) of 291 m-CLLs, and 1 (0.5%) of 189 n-CLLs. All stereotype subset 2 cases carried IGLV3-21^R110, whereas 62% of IGLV3-21^R110 i-CLL cases had nonstereotyped BCR immunoglobulins. IGLV3-21^R110 i-CLL had a significantly higher number of SF3B1 and ATM mutations and total number of driver alterations. However, the R110 mutation was the sole alteration in 1 i-CLL and was accompanied only by del(13q) in 3. Although IGHV mutational status varied, IGLV3-21^R110 i-CLL transcriptomically resembled n-CLL/unmutated IGHV CLL with a specific signature including WNT5A/B overexpression. In contrast, i-CLL lacking IGLV3-21^R110 mirrored m-CLL/mutated IGHV. Patients with IGLV3-21^R110 i-CLL had a short time to first treatment and overall survival similar to those of n-CLL/unmutated IGHV patients, whereas patients with non-IGLV3-21^R110 i-CLL had a good prognosis similar to that of patients with m-CLL/mutated IGHV. IGLV3-21^R110 defines a CLL subgroup with specific biological features and an unfavorable prognosis independent of IGHV mutational status and epigenetic subtype.