Pl. Hsu et al., ABSENCE OF T-CELL-SPECIFIC AND B-CELL-SPECIFIC TRANSCRIPTION FACTORS TCF-1, GATA-3, AND BSAP IN HODGKINS REED-STERNBERG CELLS, Laboratory investigation, 74(2), 1996, pp. 395-405
Based on the presence of T cell receptor-beta (TcR-beta) gene rearrang
ements in L428 and HDLM-1 cells, the expression of CD2 in HDLM-1 cells
, and the presence of immunoglobulin heavy-chain (IgH) gene rearrangem
ent in KM-H2 cells, some researchers have concluded that these long-te
rm cell lines derived from patients with Hodgkin's disease are lymphoi
d in nature. The information obtained from these cell lines has also b
een used in arguments for a lymphoid origin of H-RS cells in tissue de
spite the frequent absence of lymphoid markers and Ig/TcR gene rearran
gements in these cells. We questioned whether one can use the limited
expression of lymphoid markers or the limited gene rearrangement to co
nclude that H-RS cells have a lymphoid origin, because these markers m
ay be aberrant in tumor cells. In this study, we examined the expressi
on of two T-cell-specific transcription factors (TCF-1 and GATA-3) and
one B-cell-specific transcription factor (BSAP) in cultured H-RS cell
s by using a gel mobility shift assay. The sensitivity and specificity
of this assay for determination of cell lineage have been established
in a large number of cultured human and murine cell lines. All three
types of H-RS cell lines were consistently negative for BSAP, TCF-1, a
nd GATA-3. The absence of GATA-3 was confirmed in H-RS cells in tissue
s by an in situ hybridization technique. Virtually all B-cell lines, w
ith the exception of some myeloma cell lines, are positive for BSAP, w
hich is the transcription factor for promoters for several B-cell mark
ers, including V-preB1, lambda 5, CD19, and CD20. All T-cell lines tes
ted were positive for TCF-1 and GATA-3, which are the transcription fa
ctors for promoters for several T-cell-restricted markers, including C
D2, CD3, TcR, and Ick. The absence of BSAP, TCF-1, and GATA-3 clearly
indicates an underlying difference between H-RS cells and lymphoid cel
ls.