Analysis of T-cell subpopulations in T-cell non-Hodgkin's lymphoma of angioimmunoblastic lymphadenopathy with dysproteinemia type by single target gene amplification of T cell receptor-β gene rearrangements

Angioimmunoblastic lymphadenopathy with dysproteinemia (AILD) is defined in the current lymphoma classifications as a T-cell non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. However, in approximately one third of the cases of this lymphoproliferative disease rearrangements of T-cell receptor (TCR) genes indicating clonal expansion of T cells are not detectable, It is currently believed that these cases may represent early stages of a lymphoma with a minor oligoclonal T-cell population. In the present study, 18 lymph nodes with the characteristic histology of AILD were investigated for clonal T-cell receptor gene rearrangements by analysis of DNA extracted from whole tissue sections. Dominant T-cell clones mere detected in 12 of these cases. Single CD4(+) and CDS' T cells and proliferating Ki67(+) cells of seven cases were micromanipulated from frozen tissue sections. TCR beta gene rearrangements mere amplified from these cells by polymerase chain reaction and sequenced. In all informative cases, the clonal gene rearrangements mere only detected among CD4(+), and not among CD8(+) T cells, indicating that the tumor clones in AILD usually derive from CD4(+) T cells, Minor clonal T-cell populations in those cases in which no clone was found by whole-tissue DNA analysis mere not detectable even at single cell resolution. T-cell clones in 4 of 10 cases were found to express similar TCR beta chains, indicating a potential role of (super) antigen triggering in at least some cases of AILD.