CD30 in normal and neoplastic cells

In 1982 Stein and coworkers identified a new molecule, CD30 (Ki-1), which i s expressed by Reed-Sternberg (RS) cells of Hodgkin's Disease (HD) (1). Alt hough CD30 is not a specific RS cell marker, its characterization has assum ed an important role not only in the differential diagnosis of HD, but also in the identification of a morphologically and clinically distinct type of large cell lymphoma, now designated as anaplastic large cell lymphoma (ALC L) (2). The cloning of human and murine CD30 and the utilization of genetic ally manipulated animal models have rapidly expanded our knowledge on its p hysiological role in lymphoid development and differentiation. The goal of this review is to present an overview of this rapidly evolving field and di scuss the role of CD30 in normal and neoplastic lymphoid cells. (C) 1999 Ac ademic Press.