Comparison of miRNA profiles of microdissected Hodgkin/Reed-Sternberg cells and Hodgkin cell lines versus CD77+ B-cells reveals a distinct subset of differentially expressed miRNAs.

Classical Hodgkin lymphoma (cHL) is characterized by the presence of malignant Hodgkin and Reed Sternberg (HRS) cells. The scarcity of tumour cells in lymphoma biopsies has hampered genetic analyses of HRS cells, including microRNA (miRNA) expression profiling. We determined the expression of 360 miRNAs in microdissected HRS cells from nine cHL patients. These miRNA profiles were compared to those from four cHL cell lines and CD77+ B-cells, yielding a distinct cHL signature of 12 over- and three underexpressed miRNAs. Our data suggest that miRNAs are implicated in the pathogenesis of Hodgkin lymphoma and prompt further investigations concerning their role in cHL.