Skip to main content
The American Journal of Pathology logoLink to The American Journal of Pathology
. 1987 Dec;129(3):415–421.

Utilization of monoclonal antibody L26 in the identification and confirmation of B-cell lymphomas. A sensitive and specific marker applicable to formalin-and B5-fixed, paraffin-embedded tissues.

R W Cartun 1, F B Coles 1, W T Pastuszak 1
PMCID: PMC1899807  PMID: 3322020

Abstract

Immunophenotypic analysis of paraffin-embedded tissues of lymphoproliferative disorders has been facilitated by recent developments of monoclonal antibodies that react with epitopes that survive histologic processing. Leukocyte common antigen (LCA) antibody has made a significant contribution to the immunocytochemical separation of non-Hodgkin's lymphomas from nonlymphoid neoplasms. However, a small percentage of lymphomas, particularly some large cell or immunoblastic B-cell tumors, will not label with LCA antibody. Other antibodies, directed against B lymphocytes, experience problems of specificity and a lack of sensitivity when applied to formalin-fixed specimens. The authors recently investigated a monoclonal antibody (L26) that demonstrates excellent specificity and sensitivity for B lymphocytes, and tumors derived from them, in formalin- and B5-fixed, paraffin-embedded tissue. The avidin-biotin peroxidase complex (ABC) technique was utilized for immunostaining 95 cases of malignant lymphoproliferative disorders and a variety of normal and neoplastic nonlymphoid tissues. When applied to sections of benign lymphoid tissue, the L26 antibody labeled germinal center cells, mantle zone and scattered interfollicular lymphocytes, but not histiocytes or plasma cells. L26 marked 100% (44/44) of the large cell and immunoblastic B-cell lymphomas, along with 1 case of pre-B cell lymphoblastic lymphoma. This included 8 cases that were LCA-negative. None of the T-cell lymphomas or plasma cell tumors studied demonstrated L26 immunostaining. No normal, benign, or neoplastic nonlymphoid tissues examined stained with this antibody. L26 successfully labels B lymphocytes and B-cell lymphomas in routinely processed tissues, often with greater sensitivity and intensity than LCA. This antibody should prove invaluable in the investigation of atypical lymphoid proliferations and the identification of B-cell derived lymphomas, when fresh or frozen tissue is unavailable for analysis.

Full text

PDF
421

Images in this article

Selected References

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

  1. Epstein A. L., Marder R. J., Winter J. N., Fox R. I. Two new monoclonal antibodies (LN-1, LN-2) reactive in B5 formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded tissues with follicular center and mantle zone human B lymphocytes and derived tumors. J Immunol. 1984 Aug;133(2):1028–1036. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Gonzalez-Crussi F., Mangkornkanok M., Hsueh W. Large-cell lymphoma. Diagnostic difficulties and case study. Am J Surg Pathol. 1987 Jan;11(1):59–65. doi: 10.1097/00000478-198701000-00008. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Hall P. A., D'Ardenne A. J., Butler M. G., Habeshaw J. R., Stansfeld A. G. New marker of B lymphocytes, MB2: comparison with other lymphocyte subset markers active in conventionally processed tissue sections. J Clin Pathol. 1987 Feb;40(2):151–156. doi: 10.1136/jcp.40.2.151. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Hsu S. M., Raine L., Fanger H. Use of avidin-biotin-peroxidase complex (ABC) in immunoperoxidase techniques: a comparison between ABC and unlabeled antibody (PAP) procedures. J Histochem Cytochem. 1981 Apr;29(4):577–580. doi: 10.1177/29.4.6166661. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Huang W. M., Gibson S. J., Facer P., Gu J., Polak J. M. Improved section adhesion for immunocytochemistry using high molecular weight polymers of L-lysine as a slide coating. Histochemistry. 1983;77(2):275–279. doi: 10.1007/BF00506570. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Kurtin P. J., Pinkus G. S. Leukocyte common antigen--a diagnostic discriminant between hematopoietic and nonhematopoietic neoplasms in paraffin sections using monoclonal antibodies: correlation with immunologic studies and ultrastructural localization. Hum Pathol. 1985 Apr;16(4):353–365. doi: 10.1016/s0046-8177(85)80229-x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Linder J., Ye Y. L., Harrington D. S., Armitage J. O., Weisenburger D. D. Monoclonal antibodies marking T lymphocytes in paraffin-embedded tissue. Am J Pathol. 1987 Apr;127(1):1–8. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Marder R. J., Variakojis D., Silver J., Epstein A. L. Immunohistochemical analysis of human lymphomas with monoclonal antibodies to B cell and Ia antigens reactive in paraffin sections. Lab Invest. 1985 May;52(5):497–504. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Norton A. J., Isaacson P. G. The diagnosis of malignant lymphoma using monoclonal antibodies reactive in routinely fixed wax embedded tissue. J Pathol. 1987 Mar;151(3):183–184. doi: 10.1002/path.1711510304. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Norton A. J., Isaacson P. G. The immunocytochemical diagnosis of malignant lymphoma in routinely processed tissues. J Pathol. 1987 Mar;151(3):240–242. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Norton A. J., Ramsay A. D., Smith S. H., Beverley P. C., Isaacson P. G. Monoclonal antibody (UCHL1) that recognises normal and neoplastic T cells in routinely fixed tissues. J Clin Pathol. 1986 Apr;39(4):399–405. doi: 10.1136/jcp.39.4.399. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Poppema S., Hollema H., Visser L., Vos H. Monoclonal antibodies (MT1, MT2, MB1, MB2, MB3) reactive with leukocyte subsets in paraffin-embedded tissue sections. Am J Pathol. 1987 Jun;127(3):418–429. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Stashenko P., Nadler L. M., Hardy R., Schlossman S. F. Characterization of a human B lymphocyte-specific antigen. J Immunol. 1980 Oct;125(4):1678–1685. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. Warnke R. A., Gatter K. C., Falini B., Hildreth P., Woolston R. E., Pulford K., Cordell J. L., Cohen B., De Wolf-Peeters C., Mason D. Y. Diagnosis of human lymphoma with monoclonal antileukocyte antibodies. N Engl J Med. 1983 Nov 24;309(21):1275–1281. doi: 10.1056/NEJM198311243092102. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. West K. P., Warford A., Fray L., Allen M., Campbell A. C., Lauder I. The demonstration of B-cell, T-cell and myeloid antigens in paraffin sections. J Pathol. 1986 Oct;150(2):89–101. doi: 10.1002/path.1711500203. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from The American Journal of Pathology are provided here courtesy of American Society for Investigative Pathology

RESOURCES