MORPHOMETRY OF NORMAL HUMAN LYMPHOID-TISSUES - NUCLEAR INVAGINATIONS AND CLEFTS

  • 1 January 1984
    • journal article
    • research article
    • Vol. 108  (3) , 197-201
Abstract
Morphometric analysis was performed on samples of human lymphoid tissue involved by reactive hyperplasia to assess the basis for the concept of cleaved lymphocyte nuclei in current non-Hodgkin''s lymphoma classification. Histologic sections from all regions of lymph node showed considerable variation (usually 9-16%) in the proportion of nuclear profiles, with invaginations of at least 0.4 .mu.m. Invaginations sufficiently deep to label nuclear profiles as cleaved occurred in 2% or less of lymphocytes of all regions seen on 1-.mu.m plastic-embedded sections. The majority of nuclear invaginations were less than 1.6 .mu.m deep. Analysis of the morphometric data suggests that the nuclei of germinal center lymphocytes undergoing antigen-induced transformation do not progress through a specific phase in which they become increasingly clefted. With the increased angularity and irregularity of lymphocyte nuclear profiles in germinal centers, the cleaved appearance of these nulcei in paraffin-embedded sections seems to be due to linear creases and overlapping segments of the nucleus.