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What Causes Hodgkin's Lymphoma - More Evidence
Now, Drs. Mathas and Janz at the Max Delbruck Center for Molecular Medicine (MDC) Berlin-Buch (Germany) and the Charite University Medicine Berlin (Campus Virchow and Campus Buch), publishing in Nature Immunology (doi:10.1038/ni1285, 2005), were able to show that in Hodgkin Reed Sternberg cells, which originate from B cells, the program which steers the differentiation of B cells is defective. One of the central regulators of B cell development, called E2A, is blocked by two antagonists, known as Id2 and ABF-1. Following inhibition of E2A, B cell characteristics are lost and genes for markers of other immune cells, such as macrophages and T cells, which are not characteristic for B cells, are upregulated. Thus, the B cells have changed their appearance. These findings shed light on the extraordinary appearance of Hodgkin Reed Sternberg lymphoma cells.