CD30 is involved in inhibition of T-cell proliferation by Hodgkin's Reed-Sternberg cells.

CD30 is expressed on Hodgkin's Reed-Sternberg (H-RS) cells, the tumor cells in Hodgkin's disease. Increased levels of serum CD30 are observed in Hodgkin's disease patients and are a good marker for predicting a poor prognosis and a poor response to therapy. In this study, we addressed the effect of CD30 on T cells. We showed that CD30, either as a membranous protein on H-RS cells and Chinese hamster ovary cells or as a plate-bound chimeric protein, inhibited T-cell proliferation. Anti-CD3-stimulated T cells in the presence of CD30 failed to increase tritium uptake and failed to express CD25 and CD26 and to produce interleukin 2. The inhibition of T-cell proliferation was, however, reversed with addition of exogenous interleukin 2 or pretreatment of H-RS cells with anti-CD30. Inability of T cells to express CD25 and CD26 in cocultures with H-RS cells or a plate-bound CD30 chimeric protein is in accordance with the results of immunohistochemistry on disease-involved tissues. We conclude that H-RS cells are able to inhibit the proliferation and activation of T cells through CD30-related interaction. The outcome of CD30-related interaction is an ineffective antitumor immunity, which is clearly in favor of the growth and survival of the tumor cells.