Immunophenotypical comparison of Gaucher's and pseudo-Gaucher cells.

An immunohistochemical study on bone marrow biopsies and spleens of patients with Gaucher's disease and chronic myeloid leukemia was performed to investigate the immunophenotype of Gaucher's cells and pseudo-Gaucher cells. A panel of antibodies was used which were reactive on paraffin-embedded tissues and directed against different hematopoietic lineage cells. Gaucher's cells and pseudo-Gaucher cells expressed a very similar immunophenotype and displayed an intense reaction for the monocytic antibodies tested, thus confirming their common origin and that they belong to the same system. The expression of HLA-DR antigens was much stronger in Gaucher's than in pseudo-Gaucher cells. This last finding, together with other serological data, suggests that Gaucher's cells could not behave simply as phagocytic cells but might play an active role in the chronic stimulation of the immune system that sometimes occurs in patients with Gaucher's disease.