Yin Yang 1 expression predicts a favourable survival in diffuse large B-cell lymphoma

Tian Xue; Jia-Xin Lin; Ya-Qi He; Ji-Wei Li; Ze-Bing Liu; Yi-Jun Jia; Xiao-Yan Zhou; Xiao-Qiu Li; Bao-Hua Yu

doi:10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e24376

Yin Yang 1 expression predicts a favourable survival in diffuse large B-cell lymphoma

Heliyon. 2024 Jan 12;10(2):e24376. doi: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e24376. eCollection 2024 Jan 30.

Authors

Tian Xue^{1

2}, Jia-Xin Lin^{1

2}, Ya-Qi He^{1

2}, Ji-Wei Li^{1

2}, Ze-Bing Liu^{1

2}, Yi-Jun Jia^{1

2}, Xiao-Yan Zhou^{1

2}, Xiao-Qiu Li^{1

2}, Bao-Hua Yu^{1

2}

Affiliations

¹ Department of Pathology, Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center, Shanghai, China.
² Department of Oncology, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai, China.

Abstract

Aims: Yin Yang 1 (YY1) is a multifunctional transcription factor that plays an important role in tumour development and progression, while its clinical significance in diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) remains largely unexplored. This study aimed to investigate the expression and clinical implications of YY1 in DLBCL.

Methods: YY1 expression in 198 cases of DLBCL was determined using immunohistochemistry. The correlation between YY1 expression and clinicopathological parameters as well as the overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS) of patients was analyzed.

Results: YY1 protein expression was observed in 121 out of 198 (61.1 %) DLBCL cases. YY1 expression was significantly more frequent in cases of the GCB subgroup than in the non-GCB subgroup (P = 0.005). YY1 was positively correlated with the expression of MUM1, BCL6, pAKT and MYC/BCL2 but was negatively associated with the expression of CXCR4. No significant relationships were identified between YY1 and clinical characteristics, including age, sex, stage, localization, and B symptoms. Univariate analysis showed that the OS (P = 0.003) and PFS (P = 0.005) of patients in the YY1-negative group were significantly worse than those in the YY1-positive group. Multivariate analysis indicated that negative YY1 was a risk factor for inferior OS (P < 0.001) and PFS (P = 0.017) independent of the international prognostic index (IPI) score, treatment and Ann Arbor stage. Furthermore, YY1 is more powerful for stratifying DLBCL patients into different risk groups when combined with MYC/BCL2 double-expression (DE) status.

Conclusions: YY1 was frequently expressed in DLBCL, especially in those of GCB phenotype and with MYC/BCL2-DE. As an independent prognostic factor, YY1 expression could predict a favourable outcome in DLBCL. In addition, a complex regulatory mechanism might be involved in the interactions between YY1 and MYC, pAKT as well as CXCR4 in DLBCL, which warrants further investigation.

Keywords: CXCR4; Diffuse large B-Cell lymphoma; Double-expression; Overall survival; Yin yang 1; pAKT.