title: Epstein-Barr virus and bcl-2 protein overexpression are not detected in the neoplastic cells of nodular lymphocyte predominance Hodgkin's disease.
abstract: Recent studies have indicated that nodular lymphocyte predominance Hodgkin's disease (nLP-HD) is a B-cell lymphoma. Although molecular events in the neoplastic transformation of B-cells are not well understood, Epstein-Barr virus infection and bcl-2 protein overexpression have been postulated to have etiologic roles in some lymphomas. Epstein-Barr virus has been demonstrated in the Reed-Sternberg cells of Hodgkin's disease cases (other than nLP-HD) as well as in some B-cell lymphomas; bcl-2 overexpression is found in the majority of follicular lymphomas. The biologic role for bcl-2 in HD is controversial. Some reports have indicated the presence of bcl-2 gene rearrangements, associated with the t(14;18) (q32;q21), detected by the polymerase chain reaction in HD; recent studies have failed to confirm this finding. Reports in the literature describe only a few such analyses in the nLP-HD subtype. To address these conflicting issues, we examined 12 cases of nLP-HD to determine whether bcl-2 protein expression (by immunohistochemistry) and Epstein-Barr virus (by in situ hybridization) could be detected in the Reed-Sternberg variants. None of the cases showed expression of bcl-2 protein or Epstein-Barr virus RNA in the neoplastic cells. Epstein-Barr virus does not appear to play an important role in the pathogenesis of nLP-HD. Similarly, we cannot substantiate a role for bcl-2 in the development of this type of Hodgkin's disease.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, USA.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Alkan
authors.forename: C W
authors.initials: CW
authors.lastname: Ross
authors.forename: C A
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Hanson
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Schnitzer
mesh_terms: D001483:Base Sequence; D015972:Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic; D015321:Gene Rearrangement; D004854:Herpesvirus 4, Human / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D006689:Hodgkin Disease / Q000235:genetics / Q000473:pathology* / Q000821:virology; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D017403:In Situ Hybridization; D008224:Lymphoma, Follicular / Q000235:genetics / Q000473:pathology* / Q000821:virology; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D011518:Proto-Oncogene Proteins / Q000032:analysis*; D019253:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2; D012367:RNA, Viral / Q000032:analysis; D016539:Reed-Sternberg Cells / Q000473:pathology / Q000821:virology; D014412:Tumor Virus Infections / Q000235:genetics / Q000473:pathology* / Q000821:virology
chemical_list: D011518:Proto-Oncogene Proteins; D019253:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2; D012367:RNA, Viral