Properties of anti-hairy cell serum

Hodgkin's disease in hairy cell leukemia. Phenotypic characterization of neoplastic cells

A case of Hodgkin's disease (HD) in a patient with long-standing hairy cell leukemia (HCL) is reported. The diagnosis of HCL was confirmed by clinical features (chronic illness with marked splenomegaly) and hematopathologic findings (increase of characteristic hairy cells with tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase activity in peripheral blood and bone marrow). Cervical lymphadenopathy first appeared 6 years after the diagnosis of HCL, and histologic features of the node were characteristic of HD. As it was possible that the neoplastic cells of both lesions might have originated from a single clone, their phenotypic features were defined. The hairy cells were found to bear surface immunoglobulin, receptors for complement components, leukocyte common antigen, and antigen defined by LN-1 monoclonal antibody, whereas lymph node lesion was characterized as HD because the Reed-Sternberg-like cells were positive for Leu M1 antigen, lysozyme, alpha-1-antitrypsin, and nonspecific cross-reacting antigen. Since there was no evidence indicating a common clonal origin, it is more likely to consider that both lesions are derived from different clones.

Reed-Sternberg/lymphocyte rosette: lymphocyte subpopulations as defined by monoclonal antibodies

The Reed-Sternberg cell/lymphocyte rosette characteristic of Hodgkin's disease tissue and cell suspensions was investigated with monoclonal antibodies on fresh viable cell suspensions prepared from nine cases of Hodgkin's disease. The biopsy material comprised six spleens and three lymph nodes. The majority of the rosetting lymphocytes were T cells, primarily of the helper subset. Some of the attached lymphocytes were suppressor T cells. In addition, a few of the rosetting lymphocytes around Reed-Sternberg cells were B cells.

Characteristics of Sternberg-Reed, and related cells in Hodgkin's disease: an immunohistological study

A panel of monoclonal antileucocyte antibodies was used in a study of Hodgkin's disease (HD) to explore the phenotypic characteristics of Sternberg-Reed and related cells (collectively termed HD cells). Cryostat preparations of 31 lymph nodes and 2 spleens were obtained from 30 patients with active HD. The histological diagnoses were: lymphocyte predominance (LP), 4 patients; nodular sclerosis (NS), 22; mixed cellularity (MC), 2; lymphocyte depletion (LD), 2. The monoclonal antibodies used were: OKT3, T11, Leu-1 (pan T cell specific); Leu-3A (T "helper" specific); Leu-2A, OKT8 (T "suppressor" specific); immunoglobulin (Ig) antibodies: anti kappa and lambda light chains, anti mu and delta heavy chains; B1 (anti B lymphocyte); CA2-11 (anti HLA-DR); OKM1, Mo-2 (anti myeloid/monocyte); OKT9 (anti transferrin receptor); Leu-7 (anti "NK" cell) and J5 (anti common ALL antigen). Reactions with peanut lectin (PNL) were also studied. The reactions were developed using a modified "ABC" immunoperoxidase technique. Specific attention was paid to the cell surface phenotype and anatomical localisation of HD cells in relation to surrounding T and B lymphocytes. HD cells formed distinct "rosettes" with T cells of "helper" phenotype although in 3 cases (1: LP, 2: NS) Leu-7 positive cells formed a prominent component of these interactions. In partially involved lymph node and spleen, HD cells were prominently distributed in a perifollicular distribution. In addition follicular mantle zones were frequently infiltrated by HD cells, the degree of ensuing destruction being related to the extent of lymph node effacement by HD. In 2 cases (1: NS, 1: LD) HD cells expressed clear, positive reactions with B1 although in neither of these cases nor in any other instance, was surface Ig expressed on the HD cell surface. The great majority of HD cells reacted positively with both OKT9 and, as previously reported, with anti HLA-DR antibody. In addition, HD cells demonstrated intense surface and cytoplasmic staining with PNL. HD cells were negative with all other antibodies. On the basis of these findings, no lineage specificity can confidently be attributed to the HD cell. However, the pattern of immunohistological reactions suggest that it is related to a cell of B follicular origins.

The reactivity of Reed-Sternberg cells with monoclonal antisera at thin section and ultrastructural levels

In an attempt to improve the morphology of Reed-Sternberg cells after immunochemical procedures, the biotin-avidin technique has been used. Satisfactory morphology was obtained at the level of both light and electron microscopy. Reed-Sternberg cells failed to react with a monoclonal antimonocyte serum but gave positive results with anti-1a and FMC7, a monoclonal anti-B cell serum. Positive results were also obtained with FMC1 and B1 both of which are monoclonal B cell antisera.

A human B lymphocyte antigen (P-76) shared by B-cell chronic lymphocytic leukemia cells and hairy cell leukemia cells

A membrane antigen with an apparent specificity to B lymphocytes was detected with immunochemical techniques and its properties were analyzed. Anti-B-CLL serum was raised in a rabbit by immunization with B-cell chronic lymphocytic leukemia (B-CLL) cells. This anti-B-CLL serum was absorbed with erythrocytes, liver homogenate and insolubilized immunoglobulins. After further absorption with T-CLL cells, chronic myelocytic leukemia (CML) cells and acute myelocytic leukemia (AML) cells, the anti-B-CLL serum still reacted with peripheral blood B lymphocytes, B-CLL cells and hairy cell leukemia (HCL) cells. In contrast, no reactivity was seen with peripheral blood T lymphocyte or monocytes, or leukemia cells of non-B cell origin. An immunoprecipitation of radiolabeled cell surface proteins was attempted using the anti-B-CLL serum in the presence of Staphylococcus Aureus Cowan 1 (SaCl), and the precipitates were analyzed by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE). A membrane antigen with an apparent molecular weight of 76,000 daltons (P-76) was immunoprecipitated with the anti-B-CLL serum from the lysates of normal B lymphocyte, B-CLL cells and HCL cells. The antigen (P-76) is not composed of disulfide-linked subunits and has no structural relationship with HLA-DR (Ia-like) antigens or other known antigens. These results suggest that this antigen is B-lymphocyte specific, and favour the B-lymphocyte nature of HCL cells.

The reaction of xenogeneic and monoclonal antisera with Reed-Sternberg cells

Xenogeneic antisera have been prepared against human monocytes, B lymphocytes and T lymphocytes. The reactivity of these antisera against a variety of normal and neoplastic cells is described. Reed-Sternberg cells from three cases of Hodgkin's disease failed to react with xenogeneic anti-T and anti-monocyte sera, but reacted with an anti-B serum. A further three cases were examined with monoclonal antibodies. Negative results were obtained with monoclonal anti-T and positive results were given by monoclonal antibodies directed against DR and HLA antigens.