HODGKIN CELLS ARE CLONAL B-CELLS IN DIFFE RENT STAGES OF DEVELOPMENT

Hodgkin's disease, especially its biology and pathogenesis, has been u nder discussion for more than 160 years. Numerous investigations have focused on the nature and clonality of Hodgkin cells, but so far no de finitive answer have been yielded by im munohistochemistry, Southen bl otting and PCR. However, the use of single-cell PCR has now made it po ssible to answer the question of the derivation of Hodgkin cells. Usin g a micromanipulator, Hodgkin cells can be picked out of histological sections and B-cell specific gene rearrangements (VDJ) can be amplifie d. With this technique it has proved possible to demonstrate the B-cel l derivation of Hodgkin cells and their clonality. Mutated immunoglobu lin genes in lymphocyte-predominant Hodgkin's disease indicate a germi nal center cell origin of Hodgkin cells of this type. These findings, however, do not exclude cases of Hodgkin's disease with Hodgkin cells with a T-cell genotype.