title: In vitro analysis of cell populations involved in Hodgkin's disease lesions and in the characteristic T cell immunodeficiency.
abstract: Hodgkin's disease (HD) is an aggressive human lymphoproliferative disease that displays a curious pleomorphic histopathologic appearance unlike that of any of the common non-Hodgkin's lymphomas (NHL). Although the bizarre giant cells of the HD lesion, the Reed-Sternberg cells (RSC) and mononuclear variant Hodgkin's cells (HC), have been considered to be malignant cells, little objective evidence supports this conclusion. We have studied the proliferative characteristics of T cell as well as RSC and HC-enriched populations from HD lesions, and found the majority of the proliferative activity in the T cell populations. RSC-enriched populations not only showed little spontaneous proliferation, but also did not respond to a variety of cytokine growth factors in vitro, suggesting that these cell populations are not actively growing cells. Further molecular studies to identify possible monoclonal T or B cell populations in HD lesions, using a TCR beta chain probe and IgH probes respectively on Southern blot analysis, revealed no evidence of monoclonal lymphoid cell populations. Additional studies on the characteristic T cell immunodeficiency in HD were also undertaken. Our previous studies had associated a decrement in IL-2 production with this defect. Our studies now show that an intrinsic T cell abnormality exists when HD patients' T cells are stimulated with agonistic MAb that can optimally activate and stimulate IL-2 production in normal control T cells.
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular Pathology, University of Texas System Cancer Center, M.D. Anderson Hospital and Tumor Institute, Houston 77030.
authors.forename: R J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Ford
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Rajaraman
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Lu
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Blick
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D002455:Cell Division; D005260:Female; D005803:Genes, Immunoglobulin; D006689:Hodgkin Disease / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology*; D006801:Humans; D007376:Interleukin-2 / Q000096:biosynthesis; D008213:Lymphocyte Activation; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011948:Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell / Q000235:genetics; D011995:Recombination, Genetic; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology*
chemical_list: D007376:Interleukin-2; D011948:Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell