Background: The p53 gene has a tumor-suppressor function. The mutated
gene encodes for a protein which has a longer half-life than the norma
l p53 protein. This enables the detection of the mutated p53 protein b
y immunohistochemistry. Materials and methods: In this study we examin
ed 53 lymph nodes of patients with Hodgkin's disease for the presence
of p53. The lymph nodes were stained with DO-1 and CM-1, two antibodie
s directed against the p5 3 protein. Results. DO-1 weakly stained 2/14
samples positively, and CM-1 10/25. When preincubated with Target Unm
asking Fluid, CM-1 stained 51/53 samples positively. Although, only Ho
dgkin and Reed-Sternberg cells stained positively, p53-negative Hodgki
n and Reed-Sternberg cells were also seen in the same sample. Conclusi
on: Based on these results, we conclude that the p53 mutated protein i
s present in a high number of cases with Hodgkin's disease, which is s
uggestive for an important event in the pathophysiology of the disease
. In addition, because of the absence of positive staining in the surr
ounding lymphocytes, these cells are unlikely to be part of the malign
ant clone.