Hodgkin's disease:: immunoglobulin heavy and light chain gene rearrangements revealed in single Hodgkin/Reed-Sternberg cells

Aim-To corroborate and investigate the nature of Hodgkin/Reed-Sternberg cells (H/R-S) of various subtypes of Hodgkin's disease. Method-Single H/R-S cells were micro-picked from frozen sections of tissues affected by Hodgkin's disease. The DNA from these cells was amplified by the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) with immunoglobulin heavy chain (IgH) gene FRIIIa/JH primers and light chain gene family specific primers. Results-Fifty two of 135 isolated cells gave specific reaction products (36%). IgH and V-kappa 4 gene rearrangements were found repeatedly in many H/R-S cells from one case of lymphocyte predominant Hodgkin's disease. Repeated V-kappa 4 and individual IgH/V-kappa 4,V-2 rearrangements were seen in one case, and individual IgH and V-lambda 3/V-kappa 4 rearrangements were seen in another case of nodular sclerosis-type Hodgkin's disease. Repeated IgH/V-lambda 3, and individual V-lambda 2,V-4 rearrangements, repeated V-kappa 4 and individual IgH/V-kappa 3, rearrangements, and repeated IgH and individual V-kappa 3/V-kappa 4 rearrangement were detected, respectively, in three cases of mixed cellularity-type Hodgkin's disease. Repeated and individual IgH rearrangements were found in another two cases of mixed cellularity-type Hodgkin's disease. Conclusion-The H/R-S cells isolated from lymphocyte predominant Hodgkin's disease had IgH and V-kappa 4 gene rearrangements, which supports the conclusion that this disease results from a proliferation of neoplastic B cells. The IgH and kappa and/or lambda gene rearrangements seen in H/R-S cells isolated from classic Hodgkin's disease (mixed cellularity-type and nodular sclerosis-type) support the theory that these cells derive from B lineage cells at various stages of differentiation. To our knowledge, this is first time that lambda gene rearrangements have been detected in H/R-S cells.