Application of a T cell receptor antibody beta F1 for immunophenotypic analysis of malignant lymphomas

One hundred sixty-five non-Hodgkin's lymphomas (101 B, 63 T, one histiocytic) were immunostained with an antibody (beta F1) reactive with a common framework determinant on the beta-subunit of the T cell receptor (TCR). beta F1 stained T lymphomas exclusively, including 53% of peripheral T cell lymphomas but only 33% of T lymphoblastic lymphomas. When expression of beta F1 and CD3 were considered together, 4 types of T lymphoma were delineated: 1) beta F1+CD3+; 2) beta F1+CD3-; 3) beta F1-CD3+, and 4) beta F1-CD3-. The first represented lymphomas with classical T immunophenotype. The second might represent T lymphomas with aberrant loss of CD3 expression. The third might represent T lymphomas with a putative second TCR or cases with an immature phenotype expressing cytoplasmic CD3 only. The fourth type included cases that may be derived from natural killer cells instead of T cells, cases of T lymphoma with aberrant loss of both beta F1 and CD3, and some cases of immature T cell (lymphoblastic) lymphoma. beta F1-CD3- lymphomas exhibited a remarkable predilection for the nasal region. beta F1 is useful in studying T cell lymphomas and distinguishing a novel immunophenotype frequently expressed by nasal lymphomas.