Signals that maintain leukemic cell viability

Although integrins and cytokines have been reported as triggers for preventing apoptosis and maintaining viability of CLL cells in vivo, evidence presented here by Muzio and colleagues suggests that self-antigens may be responsible for this activity in a subset of CLL patients. They describe signaling characteristics that simulate anergic B cells in mice. In addition, their findings do not support the hypothesis that mutation frequency defines anergy in leukemic B cells.