Cytochemical, ultrastructural and immunological studies of circulating Reed-Sternberg cells.

Reed-Sternberg (R-S) cells in the circulating blood of a patient with Hodgkin's disease were cytochemically peroxidase and Sudan black negative, devoid of alkaline phosphatase and non-specific esterase, mostly PAS negative but occasionally showing positivity, and nearly always showing moderately strong granular positivity for acid phosphatase. Electron microscopy showed irregular nuclear profiles, conspicuous nucleoli, a moderate development of cytoplasmic organelles but absence of structures resembling monocytic granules. The R-S cells frequently possessed receptors for the Fc region of IgG and were mostly positive for SmIg, but did not form rosettes with sheep or mouse erythrocytes nor have receptors for the Fc region of IgM or the C3 component of complement. The combined results suggest that R-S cells are of B-cell lineage.