H. Hojo et al., EXPRESSION OF CLASSICAL PROTEIN-KINASE-C SUBSPECIES IN NONNEOPLASTIC LYMPHOCYTES AND NON-HODGKINS-LYMPHOMAS - AN IMMUNOHISTOCHEMICAL STUDY, Pathology international, 46(2), 1996, pp. 148-154
it is generally accepted that phosphorylation plays a pivotal role in
the cellular response of cell differentiation and proliferation. Immun
ohistochemical expression of classical protein kinase C (cPKC) subspec
ies (alpha, beta and gamma) in eight reactive lymphoid tissues, three
normal spleens and 149 non-Hodgkin's lymphomas was examined. cPKC beta
was observed primarily in the mantle zone B cells, but appeared as ve
ry faint staining in Ki-67 positive proliferated a cells in the germin
al centers of secondary lymph follicles. In contrast to the reactive s
tate, high levels of cPKC subspecies were recognized in the majority o
f 149 cases of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, including those thought to have
arisen from germinal center cells such as follicular lymphoma, The ex
pression of cPKC alpha was found in higher frequency in T cell lymphom
as than B cell lymphomas (P<0.01) by the Chi-squared test. High levels
of cPKC alpha were present only in high grade or highly aggressive ly
mphomas, showing the highest incidence in the small noncleaved cell ty
pe, according to the International Working Formulation and National Ca
ncer Institute (P < 0.01), cPKC gamma was not detected in normal lymph
oid cells and was expressed in only four cases of non-Hodgkin's lympho
mas, It is presumed that cPKC alpha and beta have a relationship to ce
ll activation and proliferation of lymphoid cells of reactive and neop
lastic states. It might be considered that the expression of cPKC alph
a may have a relationship with aggressiveness in non-Hodgkin's lymphom
as.