[Explore the origin of H/RS cells on protein and gene].
OBJECTIVE
To explore the origin and clonality of H/RS cells.


METHODS
Immunohistochemical method was used to detect the expression of B-cell-specific activator protein (BSAP) and CD(20) in 33 paraffin-embedded tissues of classical Hodgkin lymphoma (cHL). IgH gene rearrangement was detected in 33 paraffin-embedded cHL tissue and 6 microsectioned H/RS cell samples. The PCR products of a case of cHL and its microsectioned cells were sequenced.


RESULTS
H/RS cells were positive for BSAP in 30 of 33 (90.91%) cHL cases and positive for CD(20) in 10/33 (30.30%) cases. There was a significant difference between the expression of BSAP and CD(20) in H/RS cells (P = 0.000). BSAP and CD(20) were positive in almost all B cells of lymph node reactive hyperplasia and malignant cells in B-cell lymphomas while were negative in all malignant cells of T-cell lymphomas. 16 of 33 cHL were positive for gene rearrangement, and microsectioned H/RS cells in 14 of 19 tubes displayed clonal bands of rearrangement. There was no significant difference among the rearrangement rates in tubes containing different numbers of H/RS cells (P = 0.280). Sequencing analyses of the PCR products from both paraffin-embedded tissue and microsection of the same patient revealed the rearranged V segments, but the sequences were not identical.


CONCLUSIONS
H/RS cells were originated from B cells of different differentiation stage.
Zhou
Xin-hua
XH
Department of Pathology, First Military Medical University, Guangzhou 510515, China.
Zhao
Tong
T
Yu
Jiang
J
Shen
Xin-ming
XM
Zhu
Mei-gang
MG
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D018951:Antigens, CD20 / Q000032:analysis*; D001483:Base Sequence; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins / Q000032:analysis*; D005260:Female; D015321:Gene Rearrangement; D006689:Hodgkin Disease / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology*; D006801:Humans; D007143:Immunoglobulin Heavy Chains / Q000235:genetics*; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D051757:PAX5 Transcription Factor; D016539:Reed-Sternberg Cells / Q000166:cytology*; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA; D014157:Transcription Factors / Q000032:analysis*
D018951:Antigens, CD20; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins; D007143:Immunoglobulin Heavy Chains; D051757:PAX5 Transcription Factor; C497281:PAX5 protein, human; D014157:Transcription Factors