biology

Reed–Sternberg cell

Reed–Sternberg cell is a biology topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Reed–Sternberg cell rather than just read about it. In short: Reed–Sternberg cells (also known as lacunar histiocytes for certain types) are distinctive, giant cells found with light microscopy in biopsies from individuals with Hodgkin lymphoma. They are usually derived from B lymphocytes, classically considered crippled germinal center B cells.

Key takeaways

Reed–Sternberg cell belongs to biology; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Reed–Sternberg cell to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Reed–Sternberg cell from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Reed–Sternberg cells (also known as lacunar histiocytes for certain types) are distinctive, giant cells found with light microscopy in biopsies from individuals with Hodgkin lymphoma. They are usually derived from B lymphocytes, classically considered crippled germinal center B cells. In the vast majority of cases, the immunoglobulin genes of Reed–Sternberg cells have undergone both V(D)J recombination and somatic hypermutation, establishing an origin from a germinal center or postgerminal center B cell. Despite having the genetic signature of a B cell, the Reed–Sternberg cells of classical Hodgkin lymphoma fail to express most B-cell–specific genes, including the immunoglobulin genes. The cause of this wholesale reprogramming of gene expression has yet to be fully explained. It presumably is the result of widespread epigenetic changes of uncertain etiology, but is partly a consequence of so-called "crippling" mutations acquired during somatic hypermutation. Seen against a sea of B cells, they give the tissue a moth-eaten appearance. Reed–Sternberg cells are large (30–50 microns) and are either multinucleated or have a bilobed nucleus with prominent eosinophilic inclusion-like nucleoli (thus resembling an "owl's eye" appearance). Reed–Sternberg cells are CD30 and CD15 positive except in the lymphocyte predominance type where they are negative, but are usually positive for CD20 and CD45. The presence of these cells is necessary in the diagnosis of Hodgkin lymphoma – the absence of Reed–Sternberg cells has very high negative predictive value. The presence of these cells is confirmed mainly by use of biomarkers in immunohistochemistry. They can also be found in reactive lymphadenopathy (such as infectious mononucleosis immunoblasts which are RS like in appearance, and in carbamazepine associated lymphadenopathy) and very rarely in other types of non-Hodgkin lymphomas. Anaplastic large cell lymphoma may show RS-like cells as well.

History They are named after Dorothy Reed Mendenhall and Carl Sternberg, who provided the first definitive microscopic descriptions of Hodgkin's disease.

Pathology

Hodgkin lymphoma A special type of Reed–Sternberg cell (RSC) is the lacunar histiocyte, whose cytoplasm retracts when fixed in formalin, so the nuclei give the appearance of cells that lie with empty spaces (called lacunae) between them. These are characteristic of the nodular sclerosis subtype of Hodgkin lymphoma. Mummified RSCs (compact nucleus, basophilic cytoplasm, no nucleolus) are also associated with classical Hodgkin lymphoma while popcorn cells (small cell with hyper-lobulated nucleus and small nucleoli) are lymph histiocytic (L-H) variant of Reed–Sternberg cells and are associated with nodular lymphocyte predominant Hodgkin lymphoma (NLPHL). RSCs and one RSC cell line (L1236 cells) but not other RSC cell lines express very high levels of ALOX15 (i.e., 15-lipoxygenase-1) or possibly ALOX15B (i.e. 15-lipoxygenase-2), enzymes that metabolize arachidonic acid and various other polyunsaturated fatty acids to a wide array of bioactive products including in particular those of the 15-Hydroperoxyeicosatetraenoic acid family of arachidonic acid metabolites. This is unusual in that lymphocytes typically express little or no ALOX15. It is suggested that ALOX15 and/or ALOX15B, perhaps operating through one of its arachidonic acid-derived products, the eoxins, contributes to the development and/or morphology of Hodgkin lymphoma.

See also Non-Hodgkin lymphoma Hodgkin lymphoma

References

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Reed–Sternberg cell

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Reed–Sternberg cell claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In biology, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Reed–Sternberg cell before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Reed–Sternberg cell ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Reed–Sternberg cell

In research: Reed–Sternberg cell appears in biology research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Reed–Sternberg cell in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Reed–Sternberg cell is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Histopathology, Hodgkin lymphoma, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Reed–Sternberg cell outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Reed–Sternberg cell in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Reed–Sternberg cell means in your own words.
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Frequently asked questions

What is Reed–Sternberg cell in simple terms?

Why does Reed–Sternberg cell matter?

Because it connects several biology ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Reed–Sternberg cell?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Reed–Sternberg cell.