Skip to main content
PMC home page
Clinical and Experimental Immunology logoLink to Clinical and Experimental Immunology
. 1984 May;56(2):239–246.

A combined immunohistological and histochemical analysis of lymphocyte and macrophage subpopulations in the rheumatoid nodule.

O L Duke, S Hobbs, G S Panayi, L W Poulter, J J Rasker, G Janossy
PMCID: PMC1536241  PMID: 6375915

Abstract

The histochemical demonstration of acid phosphatase (ACP) and adenosine triphosphatase (ATP) has been combined with standard immunofluorescence techniques, using a panel of monoclonal and conventional antibodies, to examine lymphocyte and macrophage subsets and their microanatomical relationships within the subcutaneous rheumatoid nodule (RN). This analysis reveals that the RN is composed largely of strongly HLA-DR+, ATP- macrophages which contain lysosomal enzymes (ACP) in large amounts. The lymphocytic infiltrate which is sparse and poorly organized is comprised almost entirely of thymus derived lymphocytes (T cells) with a normal proportion of helper/inducer (OKT4+) and suppressor/cytotoxic (OKT8+) cells. These observations are in contrast to the findings in the rheumatoid synovial membrane of a prevalence of interdigitating type, HLA-DR+ cells and the predominance of helper (OKT4+) type T cells.

Full text

PDF

Images in this article

241Fig. 1
on p.241
242Fig. 2
on p.242
243Fig. 3
on p.243
244Fig. 4
on p.244

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. Brooks D. A., Zola H., McNamara P. J., Bradley J., Bradstock K. F., Hancock W. W., Atkins R. C. Membrane antigens of human cells of the monocyte/macrophage lineage studied with monoclonal antibodies. Pathology. 1983 Jan;15(1):45–52. doi: 10.3109/00313028309061401. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Duke O., Panayi G. S., Janossy G., Poulter L. W. An immunohistological analysis of lymphocyte subpopulations and their microenvironment in the synovial membranes of patients with rheumatoid arthritis using monoclonal antibodies. Clin Exp Immunol. 1982 Jul;49(1):22–30. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Humphrey J. H. Differentiation of function among antigen-presenting cells. Ciba Found Symp. 1981;84:302–321. doi: 10.1002/9780470720660.ch16. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Janossy G., Panayi G., Duke O., Bofill M., Poulter L. W., Goldstein G. Rheumatoid arthritis: a disease of T-lymphocyte/macrophage immunoregulation. Lancet. 1981 Oct 17;2(8251):839–842. doi: 10.1016/s0140-6736(81)91107-7. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Janossy G., Tidman N., Selby W. S., Thomas J. A., Granger S., Kung P. C., Goldstein G. Human T lymphocytes of inducer and suppressor type occupy different microenvironments. Nature. 1980 Nov 6;288(5786):81–84. doi: 10.1038/288081a0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Klareskog L., Forsum U., Kabelitz D., Plöen L., Sundström C., Nilsson K., Wigren A., Wigzell H. Immune functions of human synovial cells. Phenotypic and T cell regulatory properties of macrophage-like cells that express HLA-DR. Arthritis Rheum. 1982 May;25(5):488–501. doi: 10.1002/art.1780250502. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Müller-Hermelink H. K. Characterization of the B-cell and T-cell regions of human lymphatic tissue through enzyme histochemical demonstration of ATPase and 5'-nucleotidase activities. Virchows Arch B Cell Pathol. 1974;16(4):371–378. doi: 10.1007/BF02894089. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Poulter L. W., Duke O., Hobbs S., Janossy G., Panayi G., Seymour G. The involvement of interdigitating (antigen-presenting) cells in the pathogenesis of rheumatoid arthritis. Clin Exp Immunol. 1983 Feb;51(2):247–254. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Poulter L. W., Seymour G. J., Duke O., Janossy G., Panayi G. Immunohistological analysis of delayed-type hypersensitivity in man. Cell Immunol. 1982 Dec;74(2):358–369. doi: 10.1016/0008-8749(82)90036-3. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Poulter L. W., Turk J. L. Studies on the effect of soluble lymphocyte products (lymphokines) on macrophage physiology. II. Cytochemical changes associated with activation. Cell Immunol. 1975 Nov;20(1):25–32. doi: 10.1016/0008-8749(75)90080-5. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Rasker J. J., Kuipers F. C. Are rheumatoid nodules caused by vasculitis? A study of 13 early cases. Ann Rheum Dis. 1983 Aug;42(4):384–388. doi: 10.1136/ard.42.4.384. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Seymour G. J., Poulter L. W., Bofill M., Hobbs S., Janossy G., Brooks D., Zola H., Bradley J. The reactivity of a monoclonal antibody against cells of the monocyte-macrophage series in sections of normal and inflamed human tissues. J Reticuloendothel Soc. 1983 Dec;34(6):463–473. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Winchester R. J., Burmester G. R. Demonstration of Ia antigens on certain dendritic cells and on a novel elongate cell found in human synovial tissue. Scand J Immunol. 1981 Oct;14(4):439–444. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-3083.1981.tb00585.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from Clinical and Experimental Immunology are provided here courtesy of British Society for Immunology

RESOURCES