Hodgkin's disease derived cell lines: a review

Area of Science:

• Hematology and Oncology
• Cell Biology
• Immunology

Background:

• Hodgkin lymphoma (HL) cell lines are crucial for studying the disease's pathogenesis.
• Previous studies have established numerous HL cell lines, but their true representation of in vivo Hodgkin Reed-Sternberg (H-RS) cells is debated.
• Understanding the cellular origin and lineage of H-RS cells remains a key challenge in HL research.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate and characterize established Hodgkin lymphoma (HL) cell lines.
• To determine the lineage and differentiation state of these HL cell lines.
• To compare the in vitro characteristics of HL cell lines with in vivo H-RS cells.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of 15 established cell lines using immunostaining and molecular genetic data.
• Assessment of surface marker expression, including T- and B-cell antigens and unique activation markers.
• Review of existing data on cytokine production, chromosomal abnormalities, and proto-oncogene expression.

Main Results:

• Eight of the 15 studied cell lines (CO, DEV, HD-70, HDLM, KM-H2, L-428, L-540, SUP-HD1) were identified as true Hodgkin lymphoma cell lines.
• These cell lines were assigned to either T-cell (CO, HDLM, L-540) or B-cell (DEV, HD-70, KM-H2, SUP-HD1) lineages, with L-428 showing a probable lymphoid origin.
• All eight cell lines, predominantly from the nodular sclerosis subtype, share expression of key markers (CD15, CD25, CD30, CD71, HLA-DR) with in vivo H-RS cells.

Conclusions:

• Established Hodgkin lymphoma cell lines exhibit phenotypical similarities to in vivo H-RS cells, suggesting a lymphoid origin.
• The findings are primarily applicable to the nodular sclerosis subtype of Hodgkin lymphoma.
• Further research is warranted to clarify the differentiation state and potential non-lymphoid origins of H-RS cells.