Demonstration of clonal proliferation of T lymphocytes in early neoplastic disease. Studies with probes for the beta-chain of the T cell receptor and human T cell lymphotropic virus type I.
This study demonstrates that the detection of rearrangement of the T-cell receptor gene and adult T cell leukemia virus or human T cell lymphotropic virus type I (ATLV/HTLV-I) integration in the genome are sensitive and practical methods for the diagnosis and characterization of cutaneous T cell neoplasms. Biopsy specimens obtained from small skin nodules containing a dense infiltration of lymphocytes were analyzed by Southern blotting with the use of probes for both the beta-chain of the T-cell receptor gene and the ATLV/HTLV-I genome. DNA samples from one patient with early, chronic adult T cell lymphoma or leukemia, revealed the monoclonal proliferation of lymphocytes. For another patient with early cutaneous T cell lymphoma analysis by Southern blotting with the beta-chain probe of DNA from three separate lesions revealed identical rearranged bands, indicating not only the monoclonal proliferation of T cells in each lesion but also the clonal origin of each lesion. In contrast, analysis by Southern blotting of DNA samples extracted from three nodules from a patient with lymphomatoid papulosis showed no rearranged band and therefore no clonal proliferation. DNA extracted from blood lymphocytes of these patients failed to hybridize with the probes described above as a rearranged band. These results indicate that analysis of DNA extracted from skin lesions may have diagnostic value in determining monoclonal proliferation of lymphocytes in patients with early stage cutaneous lymphomas.
Tanaka
T
T
Department of Dermatology, Faculty of Medicine, Kyoto University, Japan.
Takahashi
K
K
Ideyama
S
S
Imamura
S
S
Noma
T
T
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002471:Cell Transformation, Neoplastic; D004273:DNA, Neoplasm / Q000032:analysis*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015458:Leukemia, T-Cell / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000235:genetics / Q000473:pathology; D008223:Lymphoma / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000235:genetics / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000473:pathology*
D004273:DNA, Neoplasm