Simultaneous Expression of Activated Lymphoid Cell-Associated and Granulocytic Cell-Associated Antigens on Hodgkin's and Reed-Sternberg Cells in Hodgkin's Disease

The surface antigens of Hodgkin cells and Reed-Sternberg cells (H- and R-S cells), including lacunar cells, were analyzed with a large panel of monoclonal and polyclonal antibodies by an immunohistochemical method and an immunoelectron microscopic technique. H- and R-S cells in each histologic subtype of nodular sclerosis, mixed cellularity and lymphocyte depletion were stained similarly with anti-Leu-M 1, anti-Leu-11 b, TG 8, anti-HLA-DR, anti 1L-2 R, RSC-l (Ki-1) and anti-alpha-1-antitrypsin, but not with other antibodies examined. These findings suggest the following: (1) H- and R-S cells of nodular sclerosis, mixed cellularity and lymphocyte depletion are not heterogenous, at least in terms of surface antigen expression, and (2) H- and R-S cells may be lymphoid cells which simultaneously express activated lymphoid cell-associated antigens (e.g., HLA-DR, RSC-1 and 1L-2 R) and granulocytic cell-associated antigens (e.g., Leu-M 1 and TG 8).