Histogenesis of Reed-Sternberg and dendritic interdigitating cells in nodular sclerosing Hodgkin's disease. Immunohistochemical evidence for monocytoid precursors

Reed-Sternberg (R-S) and dendritic interdigitating (DI) cells share many features in nodular sclerosing Hodgkin's disease (NSHD). Such features include commonalities of location (paracortex), histochemistry (paranuclear acid phosphatase and nonspecific esterase activity), and immunohistochemical reactivity (positivity for Mr 70,000 antigen). Because of these similarities, it is hypothesized that there may be a common precursor for R-S and DI cells. To investigate this possibility, paraffin-embedded material from five (5) archival cases of NSHD were reacted in immunohistochemical procedures with antibodies to detect the following antigens: CD15, CD30, S-100 protein, CD68 and IL-9, respectively. Double immunostaining for lysozyme or CD45RB (leukocyte common antigen) or S-100 protein and one of the aforementioned was carried out on representative slides from selected cases. Both relatively large dendriform cells and a population of small mononuclear cells with monocytic karyomorphism showed immunoreactivity for S-100 protein. Similarly, IL-9 antigen which is characteristically found in R-S cells in NSHD was strongly expressed in a population of CD45RB- monocytoid cells. Coexpression of lysozyme antigen in some of the CD30+ R-S cells and Hodgkin's cells is also consistent with a monocytic/histiocytic lineage. Finally, CD30 antigen occasionally could be traced from monocytoid cells, where it was found in a pancytoplasmic distribution to histiocytic cells with a pancytoplasmic and sometimes also paranuclear (Golgizone) pattern of immunoreactivity, to R-S cells with paranuclear and plasmalemmal immunopositivity. In sum, the results of these studies support the contention that there are monocytoid precursors for R-S, Hodgkin's, and DI cells in NSHD and suggest a role for IL-9 in the development of R-S cells from tissue monocytes and monocytoid histiocytes.

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