The class
CETP localizes to germinal centre B cells and their neoplastic lymphoma counterparts (Histopathology 2004)
Original title: Expression of cholesteryl ester transfer protein (CETP) in germinal centre B cells and their neoplastic counterparts
Although the spleen was known to contain large amounts of CETP mRNA, its precise cellular location had been unclear. Using in-situ hybridization and immunohistochemistry with a specific rabbit anti-CETP antibody and a CETP-specific monoclonal antibody on human lymphoid tissue, researchers localized CETP protein and mRNA to germinal centre B cells and a proportion of marginal zone B cells. Examining 141 malignant lymphomas of various subtypes, they found high CETP expression, equivalent to normal germinal centre B cells, specifically in lymphoma subtypes regarded as the neoplastic counterparts of germinal centre B cells, establishing CETP as a marker of this B cell lineage and its malignant transformation. This is preclinical human-tissue pathology, outside CETP's cardiovascular role.
Original abstract
Aims: Cholesteryl ester transfer protein (CETP) is known to facilitate the transfer of lipids between plasma lipoproteins. Previous studies on human tissues have determined that the spleen contains large amounts of CETP mRNA, while the exact location of CETP in such organs remains unknown. In the present study, our aim was to locate CETP protein expression at the cellular level in human normal and neoplastic lymphoid organs.
Methods And Results: In-situ hybridization (ISH) and immunohistochemistry were applied to pathology specimens. A specific rabbit anti-CETP antibody was used for immunohistochemical analysis, together with another CETP-specific monoclonal antibody. A riboprobe for ISH was derived from CETP cDNA. Immunohistochemically, CETP was localized in germinal centre B cells and a proportion of marginal zone B cells. ISH showed that CETP mRNA was located mostly in the same areas. When 141 malignant lymphomas of various subtypes were studied, high expression of CETP, equivalent to that found in normal germinal centre B cells, was demonstrated in lymphoma subtypes that are currently regarded as the neoplastic counterparts of primarily germinal centre B cells.
Conclusion: CETP localizes B cells in germinal centres, a proportion of post-germinal centre B cells and their neoplastic counterparts.
Summary written by cetpinhibition.org from the published abstract; figures as published. Page updated 19 August 2026. Methods.