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American Journal of Pathology, Vol 129, 434-440, Copyright © 1987 by American Society for Investigative Pathology

REGULAR ARTICLES

Discordant expression of CD3 and T-cell receptor beta-chain antigens in T-lineage lymphomas

LJ Picker, MB Brenner, LM Weiss, SD Smith and RA Warnke
Department of Pathology, Stanford University School of Medicine, California.

Using an immunoperoxidase technique that identifies both surface and cytoplasmic antigen expression, the authors examined 28 benign reactive lymphorproliferative lesions and 55 T-lineage lymphomas for reactivity with CD3 (Leu-4; T-cell receptor-associated antigen) and beta F1 antibodies, the latter recognizing nonpolymorphic determinants on T- cell receptor beta chains. Consistent with previous observations that these two antigens are co-expressed on the vast majority of thymocytes, peripheral blood T cells and tonsillar T cells, all 28 reactive lymphoproliferations showed essentially identical patterns of CD3 and beta F1 expression. In contrast, only 29 of 55 T-lineage lymphomas displayed coexpression of these antigens. Among 33 peripheral T-cell lymphomas, 11 cases showed CD3/beta F1 discordance (7 CD3+/beta F1-; 4 CD3-/beta F1+), and 5 showed absence of both these antigens. Nine of 22 T-lymphoblastic lymphomas showed CD3/beta F1 discordance (all CD3+/beta F1-), and 1 case was CD3-/beta F1-. These patterns of CD3/beta F1 expression, along with the patterns of CD2, CD4, CD5, CD7, and CD8 antigen expression in these neoplasms, indicate that T-cell lymphomas can manifest phenotypes not apparently reflective of normal T populations and suggest the presence of abnormal gene expression in these malignancies. The existence of aberrant phenotypes in T-cell neoplasia suggests caution in interpretation of investigations using T- lineage malignancies as models of normal T-cell biology. Finally, the identification of phenotypic abnormalities in T-lineage populations can be of great diagnostic usefulness in the delineation of benign versus malignant T-cell proliferations.

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