Reciprocal/dichotomic expression of vimentin and B cell differentiation antigens in Reed-Sternberg's cells.
An immunohistochemical study of 63 cases of Hodgkin's disease was undertaken using formalin-fixed paraffin embedded tissue sections. The antibodies used were against L26, LN-1, LN-2, EMA (epithelial membrane antigen), Leu-M1, Vimentin, UCHL-1, S-100, and lysozyme. Hodgkin's disease could be divided into three groups: the first group was LN-1+/L26+/vimentin-, the second LN-1-/L26+/vimentin+, and the third LN-1-/L26-/vimentin+). Sixteen cases of follicular lymphomas were also examined and were all positive for LN-1 and L26 and negative for vimentin. Thus the vimentin negativity of the first group, including 7 nodular lymphocyte-predominant cases, gives further evidence of their germinal center B-cell origin. Since vimentin is expressed mainly in the immature stage of B-lymphocytes, the second group of Hodgkin's disease may represent immature B-cell Hodgkin's disease. In the third group, vimentin was present in Reed-Sternberg's (RS) and Hodgkin's (H) cells in 45 of the 48 cases (92.5%). In none of 48 cases were these cells positive for S-100 or lysozyme, but strong vimentin-positivity still suggested monocytic or histiocytic origin. The results of our study suggest, at least, divergent origin of RS's and H's cells.
First Department of Pathology, Chiba University School of Medicine, Japan.
J
J
Tamaru
A
A
Mikata
K
K
Azuma
T
T
Takagi
D000944:Antigens, Differentiation, B-Lymphocyte / Q000032:analysis*; D006644:Histiocytes / Q000032:analysis*; D006689:Hodgkin Disease / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D007124:Immunoenzyme Techniques; D013194:Staining and Labeling; D014746:Vimentin / Q000032:analysis*
D000944:Antigens, Differentiation, B-Lymphocyte; D014746:Vimentin