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A study of Hodgkin/Reed-Sternberg cells using single cell polymerase chain reaction
Objective:
To investigate the characteristics of Hodgkin/Reed-Stemberg (H/R-S) cells found in patients with various types of Hodgkin's disease (HD).
Methods:
H/R-S cells were micropicked from frozen sections of tissues affected by HD. The DNA from these cells was amplified by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) using immunoglobulin heavy chain gene FR III a/JH primers and light chain gene family-specific primers.
Results:
A total of 52/135 (35.8%) isolated cells showed the specific products in the reactions. IgH and V kappa 4 rearrangements were repeatedly found in many cells from a lymphocyte predominance type sample; repeated V kappa 4 and individual IgH/V kappa 2,4 rearrangements and individual IgH, V lambda 3/ V kappa 4 rearrangements were found in two different cases of the nodular sclerosis type; repeated IgH/ V lambda 3 and individual V lambda 2,4 rearrangements, repeated V kappa 2,4 rearrangements, repeated V kappa 4 and individual IgH/ V kappa 3 rearrangements, repeated IgH and individual V kappa 3/ V lambda 4 rearrangements were detected in 3 cases of the mixed cellularity type. Repeated and individual IgH rearrangements were found in other 2 cases.
Conclusion:
The H/R-S cells isolated from the lymphocyte predominance subtypes of HD have IgH and V lambda 4 gene rearrangements. This suggests that the lymphocyte predominance type is a proliferation of neoplastic B cells. The cells isolated from the mixed cellularity and nodular sclerosis types derive from B lineage cells at various stages of differentiation because of the presence of their IgH, kappa and/or lambda gene rearrangements. To our knowledge, this is the first time that the lambda gene rearrangement was detected in H/R-S cells.