MOLECULAR ANALYSIS OF OCULAR ADNEXAL LYMPHOID PROLIFERATIONS - CHARACTERISTICS IMMUNOGLOBULIN-VH, IMMUNOGLOBULIN-D AND IMMUNOGLOBULIN-J SEGMENT USAGE

We investigated the molecular characteristics of six cases of ocular a dnexal lymphoid proliferation. Although their clinical diagnoses varie d all of them were diagnosed as having malignant lymphomas by immunohi stochemical examinations and molecular approaches. Proliferating cells showed the B cell phenotype, positive for L26/CD20 and negative for U CHL1/CD45RO, and genotypic study by Southern blotting revealed that al l cases had gene rearrangements of the immunoglobulin heavy chain with or without those of the kappa (kappa) light chain. Epstein-Barr virus infection was not identified. Usage of variable domains of the immuno globulin heavy chain was analyzed. Subgroup 3 of the VH gene was prese nt relatively often, in 3 of 6 cases, perhaps due to its having the la rgest number of VH gene segments. On the other hand, an unexpectedly h igh frequency of the DLR family of the D gene segment was observed by sequencing the third complementarity determining region. These molecul ar characteristics in ocular adnexal lymphoid neoplasms might be relat ed to the clinical course.