Microenvironment of Woringer-Kolopp’s Disease

Abstract

A localized form of ‘Pagetoid reticulosis’ (Woringer-Kolopp’s disease) is described morphologically. It can be shown that ultrastructurally the ‘Pagetoid cells’ are heterogenic and that different cell types can be distinguished: there are lymphoid cells, which often look like Lutzner cells, and nonlymphoid cells which can be characterized as indeterminate cells or Langerhans’ cells. Often a close topographical relation between lymphoid and nonlymphoid cells can be demonstrated. This finding is suggestive for a functional interaction between the lymphoid cells, which are most probably T cells, and indeterminate cells and Langerhans’ cells, which are known to be important for the thymus-dependent immune reaction. The presence of the nonlymphoid cell population in the epidermis in Woringer-Kolopp’s disease seems to build up the specific microenvironment for lymphoid cell reaction.

Human Epidermal Cell‐Induced Generation of Alloreactive Cytotoxic T‐Lymphocyte Responses against Epidermal Cells

“…Although Langerhans cells do not grow in epidermal cell cultures such as the culture system we used, they are still present among the cultured EC used as targets (unpublished observations), as also shown by others using IF analysis and, as markers of LC, the presence of membrane HLA-DR antigens [7]. Although the present study clearly indicates that EC may be targets of CMC induced by LC in vitro, it does not indicate whether the class II antigen-expressing EC may also serve as targets of such CMC reactions, as suggested by in vivo ultrastructural observations [17].…”

An Early Picture of Pagetoid Reticulosis

“…In our case the infil trating cells showed negative staining by PAP method and morphologically re sembled T lymphocytes. Geerls et al [9] ob served indeterminate cells and Langerhans' cells having close relation with lymphoid cells in the infiltrate. But in our case inde terminate cells and Langerhans' cells were not observed in the infiltrate, although a few macrophages and small lymphocytes were noted.…”