Morphologically normal, CD30-negative B-lymphocytes with chromosome aberrations in classical Hodgkin's disease: the progenitor cell of the malignant clone?

A recent study observed that numerical chromosome abnormalities in Hodgkin's disease (HD) are detected not only in morphologically abnormal Hodgkin/Reed-Sternberg cells, but also in a fraction of morphologically normal cells. However, the phenotypic constitution of these genetically abnormal, morphologically normal cells and their relationship to the malignant Hodgkin/Reed-Sternberg cells could not be established in the earlier cases studied, because of the low frequency of these cells. The present study investigated two cases of classical Hodgkin's disease containing a relatively large population of such apparently normal cells with aberrant chromosome copy numbers.

Detection of a Hodgkin/Reed-Sternberg cell specific immunoglobulin gene rearrangement in the serum DNA of a patient with Hodgkin's disease.

We analysed multiple serum samples from a patient with mixed cellularity Hodgkin's disease for the Hodgkin/Reed-Sternberg cell clone-specific rearranged Ig gene sequence. The clone-specific sequence could be detected in DNA extracted from a serum sample obtained during clinical relapse but not in serum samples obtained during or after treatment following relapse.

Somatic mutations within the untranslated regions of rearranged Ig genes in a case of classical Hodgkin's disease as a potential cause for the absence of Ig in the lymphoma cells.

Hodgkin-Reed-Sternberg (H-RS) cells are clonal B cells carrying Ig gene rearrangements. However, in situ hybridization methods failed to demonstrate Ig gene expression in H-RS cells of classical Hodgkin's disease (HD). Because somatic mutations rendering potentially functional Ig gene rearrangements nonfunctional were detected in some cases of the disease, it was speculated that H-RS cells in classical HD may have lost the ability to express antigen receptor as a rule.

Stable nontumorigenic phenotype of somatic cell hybrids between malignant Burkitt's lymphoma cells and autologous EBV-immortalized B cells despite induction of chromosomal breakage and loss.

Fusion of the highly tumorigenic Burkitt's lymphoma (BL) cell line BL60-P7 with the nontumorigenic autologous EBV-immortalized lymphoblastoid cell line (LCL) IARC 277 results in suppression of the tumorigenic phenotype of the parental cell line BL60-P7 after s.c. inoculation into T cell-deficient nude mice.

Hodgkin's disease biology: recent advances.

The cellular origin of H-RS cells has been questioned for a long time. Recently, using single cell amplification of Ig genes evidence was obtained that H-RS cells clonally arise from B-cells. Sequence analysis of rearranged Ig genes demonstrated that H-RS cells develop within the germinal centre.

Isolation of viable Hodgkin and Reed-Sternberg cells from Hodgkin disease tissues.

Hodgkin disease (HD) is characterized by a small number of malignant Hodgkin and Reed-Sternberg (H/RS) cells among a major population of nonmalignant cells. The analysis of H/RS cells has been hampered by their low frequency and fragility. Here, we describe the isolation of viable H/RS cells from HD affected tissues by high gradient magnetic cell sorting (MACS) according to expression of CD30.

Detection of identical Hodgkin-Reed Sternberg cell specific immunoglobulin gene rearrangements in a patient with Hodgkin's disease of mixed cellularity subtype at primary diagnosis and in relapse two and a half years later.

Background: The malignant nature of Hodgkin-Reed Sternberg (H-RS) cells has been questioned due to their scarcity in lymphoma tissues. Recently, using micromanipulation of H-RS cells and single cell PCR evidence was obtained that H-RS cells represent a clonal B-cell population. In these studies H-RS cells were isolated from each one lymph node for a given case.

HMGI-C, a member of the high mobility group family of proteins, is expressed in hematopoietic stem cells and in leukemic cells.

The human HMGI-C gene encoding a member of the high mobility group protein family normally is expressed only during embryonic/fetal development but in none of the adult tissues tested so far. Recently, the HMGI-C gene has attracted a lot of interest since its rearrangements seem to underlie the development of frequent benign mesenchymal tumors. We have therefore checked CD34 positive hematopoietic stem cells and their normal and malignant descendants for HMGI-C expression.

Integration of Epstein-Barr virus in Burkitt's lymphoma cells leads to a region of enhanced chromosome instability.

Background: Several lymphomas are associated with Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) infection. However EBV is not detectable in 100% of cases using standard staining techniques. It still remains an open question whether in these EBV-negative cases EBV has never infected the cell, whether it has infected the cell and escapes conventional screening methods, or whether it has been lost again after initial infection.

Selective loss of integrated Epstein-Barr virus genomes after long-term cultivation of Burkitt's lymphoma x B-lymphoblastoid cell hybrids due to chromatin instability at the integration site.

Independently established somatic cell hybrid clones between the Burkitt's lymphoma (BL) cell line BL 60 and the autologous Epstein-Barr virus (EBV)-immortalized lymphoblastoid cell line (LCL) IARC 277 were analyzed with regard to physical state of EBV and karyotype changes in long-term culture. Early after fusion these hybrids carry EBV genomes of the parental BL cell line integrated near the breakpoint of a translocation chromosome der(19) t(11;19) as well as episomal viral DNA molecules of the parental LCL. During long-term culture, however, all hybrid cell lines lost the integrated EBV sequences and retained exclusively episomal EBV, whereas in parental BL cells the EBV genomes remained stably integrated.

Suppression of Burkitt's lymphoma tumorigenicity in nude mice by co-inoculation of EBV-immortalized lymphoblastoid cells.

EBV-immortalized B-lymphoblastoid cell lines (LCL) inoculated s.c. into T-cell-deficient nude mice regress completely after a short initial growth period.

Integration of Epstein Barr virus near the breakpoint of a translocation 11;19 in a Burkitt's lymphoma cell line.

The physical state of Epstein Barr virus (EBV) DNA was analyzed in the Burkitt's lymphoma (BL) cell line BL60 and in the autologous EBV-immortalized lymphoblastoid cell line (LCL) IARC 277 by Gardella gel analysis, Southern blotting, and nonradioactive in situ hybridization to metaphase chromosomes. Although only episomal viral DNA was detected in the LCL, the 6-12 copies of EBV DNA in the BL cell line are integrated in one site of the host cell genome. The integration site is located near the breakpoint of a translocation 11;19 which is present in this cell line in addition to the BL-specific t(8;22).