Mycosis fungoides skin lesions contain CD8+ tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes expressing an activated, MHC-restricted cytotoxic T-lymphocyte phenotype |
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Authors: | Gary S Wood Abby Edinger Richard T Hoppe Roger A Warnke |
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Institution: | Departments of Dermatology and Pathology and the Skin Diseases Research Center, Case Western Reserve University and the VA Medical Center, Cleveland, OH;Department of Radiation Oncology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, U.S.A.;Department of Pathology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, U.S.A. |
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Abstract: | In prior studies, we showed that most CD8+ cells infiltrating skin lesions of CD3+CD4+ mycosis fungoides were CD3+ T-line-age tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TIL) whose overall phenotype was suggestive of MHC-restricted cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTL). However, their lack of cytotoxic-associated granzyme A mRNA suggested that they might be inactivated CTL precursors. In this study, we used single- and double-label immunohistologic techniques to assess the expression of TlA-1-reactive protein and HLA-DR by these CD8+TIL. Monoclonal antibody TIA-1 recognises a novel family of proteins expressed preferentially by cytotoxic cells, including some that lack grauzyme A. HLA-DR is a marker of T-cell activation. Single-label studies of 32 cases showed that CD8+TIL and TIA-1+ cells constituted a variable minority of the total cellular infiltrate and had a similar distribution. Double-label studies of 14 cases showed that in most instances the aggregate phenotype of the majority of CD8+TIL was CD3+TIA-1+HLA-DR+CD56−CD57−. These findings suggest that many of the CD8+TIL within skin lesions of CD3+CD4+ mycosis fungoides are activated, MHC-restricted CTL. |
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