Lymphocyte homing receptors and adhesion molecules in intravascular malignant lymphomatosis

Intravascular malignant lymphomatosis (IML) is a highly malignant, recently recognized form of lymphoma. It is characterized by multifocal proliferation of malignant lymphocytes within small blood vessels, primarily in the central nervous system and skin, frequently resulting in circulatory disturbances. The cause of the impaired capability of the malignant lymphocytes to extravasate has remained unclear. We analyzed the presence of immunoreactivity for certain homing receptor and adhesion molecules associated with lymphocyte extravasation in 3 patients with this disease. Compared with non-neoplastic leukocytes, large malignant lymphocytes appeared either negative or only weakly positive for the leukocyte surface glycoprotein, CD18 that is the beta chain of the CDIIa/CD18 complex (lymphocyte-function associated antigen-I, LFA-I), which mediates cell-to-cell adhesion of lymphocytes. On the other hand, antibody to one of the proposed ligands for this complex, intercellular adhesion molecule-I, gave positive reactivity both on lymphocytes and on endothelial cells. Further, the malignant lymphoid cells stained positively with Hermes-3 antibody, which recognizes a common structure of CD44 class of molecules involved in lymphocyte homing. It was also shown that HECA-452 antigen, a marker of high endothelial venules (HEV) supporting lymphocyte extravasation, can be synthesized by an IML patient even at the site of inflammation but it is not prerequisite for extravasation of inflammatory lymphocytes. Our results suggest that the deficiency or absence of the adhesion molecule CDIIa/CD18 may contribute to the inability of the malignant lymphoid cells to extravasate in IML, and perhaps also to the high malignancy of this form of lymphoma.