Morphologic differences between latent membrane protein-1 (LMP-1)-positive and negative tumour cells in Epstein-Barr virus (EBV)-related childhood Hodgkin's disease. A morphometric study

• Published in: Pathology, research and practice research and practice, 1996-03, Vol.192 (3), p.210-214
• Main Authors: Panayiotides, J, Kanavaros, P, Protopapa, E, Vlachonikolis, J, Tzardi, M, Kalmanti, M, Delides, G
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adolescent; Child; Child, Preschool; Herpesviridae Infections - metabolism; Herpesviridae Infections - pathology; Herpesvirus 4, Human; Hodgkin Disease - metabolism; Hodgkin Disease - pathology; Hodgkin Disease - virology; Humans; Tumor Virus Infections - metabolism; Tumor Virus Infections - pathology; Viral Matrix Proteins - analysis
• ISSN: 0344-0338
• DOI: 10.1016/S0344-0338(96)80223-8

The values of five cellular morphometric parameters (longest and shortest cytoplasmic axis, cellular circumference, area and roundness coefficient) were compared between 20 Latent Membrane Protein 1 (LMP-1)-positive and an equal number of LMP-1-negative Reed-Sternberg and Hodgkin (HRS) cells for each of 13 cases of Hodgkin's disease (HD) occurring in children (aged 3-15 years); the presence of Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) encoded EBER mRNAs had previously been detected in all cases using RNA in situ hybridisation (RISH), while the presence of LMP-1 was immunohistochemically detected using the alkaline phosphatase-antialkaline phosphatase (APAAP) method. The longest and shortest axis, circumference and area were larger in LMP-1-positive than in LMP-1 negative HRS cells, while the roundness coefficient of LMP-positive HRS cells was smaller than that of LMP-1 negative cells. All differences were statistically highly significant when univariate (paired comparisons) t-test were used. Multivariate analysis (Hotelling's T2 test) showed all differences (except the roundness coefficient) to be significant both at the 5% and 1% level of significance. These results provide a numerical basis for the alteration brought by the expression of LMP-1 in the cellular skeleton of tumour (HRS) cells in EBV-related childhood HD cases.