Expression data from post-transplant lymphoproliferative disorder (PTLD) patient samples

In this study we focussed on malignant post-transplant lymphomas. Post-transplant lymphoma is strongly associated with Epstein-Barr Virus (EBV) infection in contrast to lymphoma arising in an immunocompetent population. Nevertheless, about 1 in 3 PTLD cases are negative for EBV. We used a microarray to define the gene expression profile of different PTLDs to elucidate the pathogenesis of EBV(+) and EBV(-) PTLD and to define whether EBV(-) PTLD is biologically different from EBV(-) lymphoma arising in an immunocompetent host. PTLD patient samples were randomly selected for RNA extraction and hybridization on an Affymetrix platform. The post-transplant tumors consisted of homogenous sheets of neoplastic cells ensuring reliability of the gene expression data.