Functional aspects of the CD30 gene in Hodgkin's lymphoma and anaplastic large cell lymphoma

Lymphomas are neoplasms of the human immune system and can be divided into two categories, Hodgkin’s lymphoma (HL) and non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma (NHL). Anaplastic large cell lymphoma (ALCL) is a form of NHL that shares a common distinctive feature with Hodgkin’s lymphoma, the overexpression of cytokine receptor, CD30. However, the responses in HL and ALCL differ. Activation of CD30 via its ligand, CD153 or antibodies triggers various cellular responses ranging from apoptosis to cell proliferation in ALCL but no response in HL. To further understand the role of these processes in the pathology, downstream signalling events arising from CD30 stimulation have been investigated; however, little is known about regulatory mechanisms that result in the characteristically high levels of CD30 in HL and ALCL. Here we review the studies that have focused on characterisation of the CD30 promoter as well as several factors that contribute to the transcriptional regulation of CD30 in these lymphomas.