Lymphocyte compartments in human spleen. An immunohistologic study in normal spleens and uninvolved spleens in Hodgkin's disease.

A panel of monoclonal antibodies directed against T and B lymphocyte antigens was used to analyze the presence and localization of several lymphocyte subsets in 13 normal human spleens (3 of newborns) and 17 uninvolved spleens of patients with Hodgkin's disease. The distribution of cells in the white pulp corresponded with findings in other secondary lymphoid organs, except for the presence of a marginal zone, a unique compartment localized at the border of white and red pulp. The phenotype of the marginal zone cells indicates that it is likely that the marginal zone contains nonrecirculating as well as recirculating B cells, while T cells (of the T helper type) are also represented. Therefore, the notion that marginal zone cells are nonrecirculating IgM+, IgD- cells, appears to be an oversimplification. No clear differences were observed between spleens of patients with and without Hodgkin's disease.