Critical role of monocytes to support normal B cell and diffuse large B cell lymphoma survival and proliferation

Large B cell lymphomas can comprise numerous CD14+ cells in the tumor stroma, which raises the question of whether monocytes can support B cell survival and proliferation. We show that the coculture of monocytes with B cells from peripheral blood or from diffuse large B cell lymphoma enabled prolonged B cell survival. Under these conditions, diffuse large lymphoma B cells proliferated, and addition of B cell‐activating factor of the TNF family (BAFF) and IL‐2 enhanced cell division. Monocytes and dendritic cells (DC) had similar antiapoptotic activity on healthy B cells but displayed differences with respect to B cell proliferation. Monocytes and cord blood‐derived CD14+ cells promoted B cell proliferation in the presence of an anti‐CD40 stimulus, whereas DC supported B cell proliferation when activated through the BCR. DC and CD14+ cells were able to induce plasmocyte differentiation. When B cells were activated via the BCR or CD40, they released the leukocyte attractant CCL5, and this chemokine is one of the main chemokines expressed in diffuse large B cell lymphoma. The data support the notion that large B cell lymphoma recruit monocytes via CCL5 to support B cell survival and proliferation.