CD45 is a protein that is expressed on surface of stem cells and is important in the development of blood cells (although no one is really sure how or why).
As cells develop and mature, this marker is slowly lost from the surface, particularly from the surface of plasma cells (a type of mature B-cell). However these cells still express small amounts of this marker because it is invovled in certain pathways in the cell.
However, in multiple myeloma, it was originally thought that these mutated plasma cells have completely lost the CD45 marker. However, recent research has found that certain myeloma cells still have this marker. What makes it more interesting is that studies found that patients who didn’t have the CD45 marker on their cells died much faster than patients with cells that expressed CD45.
This leads me to my research question – WHY?
Why do patients who don’t have CD45 die more quickly?
We believe that there is something different about the patients cells – any that’s what I’m trying to figure out, what’s so different about cells with CD45 and cells without?
Thanks for your great question scientistingrid!
CD45 is a protein that is expressed on surface of stem cells and is important in the development of blood cells (although no one is really sure how or why).
As cells develop and mature, this marker is slowly lost from the surface, particularly from the surface of plasma cells (a type of mature B-cell). However these cells still express small amounts of this marker because it is invovled in certain pathways in the cell.
However, in multiple myeloma, it was originally thought that these mutated plasma cells have completely lost the CD45 marker. However, recent research has found that certain myeloma cells still have this marker. What makes it more interesting is that studies found that patients who didn’t have the CD45 marker on their cells died much faster than patients with cells that expressed CD45.
This leads me to my research question – WHY?
Why do patients who don’t have CD45 die more quickly?
We believe that there is something different about the patients cells – any that’s what I’m trying to figure out, what’s so different about cells with CD45 and cells without?
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