Cytokine Gene Expression Profile Distinguishes CD4⁺/CD57⁺ T-Cells of Nodular Lymphocyte Predominance Type of Hodgkin Lymphoma from Their Tonsillar Counterparts.

Little is known about the cytokine profile of nodular lymphocyte predominance Hodgkin lymphoma (NLPHL) and the significance of the characteristic rosetting CD4⁺/CD57⁺ T-cells. We analyzed the T-lymphocyte populations isolated from lymph node suspensions of 5 patients with NLPHL, 2 with follicular hyperplasia and progressive transformation of germinal centres (PTGC), 3 with classical Hodgkin lymphoma (CHL) and 5 with hyperplasia of the tonsil. We sorted the T-cells based on expression of CD3, CD4 and CD57 by flow cytometry and evaluated the cytokine mRNA profiles of the T-cells with quantitative RT-PCR. NLPHL cases were as rich in T-cells as the CHL cases, but all NLPHL cases with a much higher frequency of CD4⁺/CD57⁺ T-cells. In contrast to the CD4⁺/CD57⁺ T-cells from tonsils, IL2 and IL4 mRNA was consistently absent from the CD4⁺/CD57⁺ T-cells of NLPHL. Even after stimulation, no IL4 transcripts could be detected in the CD4⁺/CD57⁺ T-cells of NLPHL. On the other hand, IFNγ transcripts were elevated in NLPHL and PTGC T-cell subsets as compared to tonsillar T-cell subsets. IL13 mRNA was exclusively produced by the T-cells of CHL cases, indicating that IL13 may be a key cytokine in CHL. In conclusion, elevated levels of CD4⁺/CD57⁺ T-cells are characteristic for NLPHL and these T-cells display a distinct cytokine mRNA profile.