Receptors for Helix pomatia agglutinin on normal and neoplastic lymphocytes -- a histochemical study using paraffin embedded tissue sections.

In order to investigate the distribution and significance of receptors for Helix pomatia agglutinin (HPA), paraffin sections from several reactive and 70 neoplastic lymphoid tissues were utilized for a histochemical study after neuraminidase treatment. Lymphocytes in the germinal center and thymic cortex were mostly negative for the receptors, while most of the lymphocytes in the thymus-dependent area, some of those in the primary follicle or in the marginal zone and most of the plasma cells in the medulla possessed the receptors on their surfaces. Nodular lymphomas, thymomas, and diffuse lymphoblastic lymphomas were mostly negative in contrast to the positive reaction in diffuse poorly differentiated lymphomas of B-cell type and plasmocytomas. Diffuse histiocytic lymphomas and diffuse mixed lymphocytic and histiocytic lymphomas occasionally possessed the receptors, irrespective of their immunological markers. Hodgkin's cells were negative on their surface, but were occasionally positive in their cytoplasms ans seen in case of histiocytes. From these results, HPA receptors could be neither T-cell nor B-cell differentiation marker. The possibility that HPA-receptor-negative lymphocytes may hav a quick turn-over rate or a short life span is also discussed.