Reactivity of infiltrating T lymphocytes with microbial antigens in Crohn's disease.
Intestinal T lymphocytes are normally unresponsive to microbial and recall antigens in vitro, whereas the same antigens induce strong immune responses in peripheral-blood-derived T cells. We obtained T lymphocytes from peripheral blood and from the non-inflamed and inflamed intestinal mucosa of 6 patients (3 male, 3 female; mean age 33 years) with Crohn's disease. The T cells were stimulated in vitro with a range of microbial antigens. Whereas T cells from normal mucosa were unresponsive, those from inflamed mucosa had a proliferative response comparable to that of the peripheral-blood-derived T cells. These findings suggest that physiologic unresponsiveness to luminal antigens is abrogated in the inflammatory lesions of Crohn's disease patients. Infiltrating T lymphocytes may therefore mediate chronic inflammation on encountering the many antigens present in the intestine.
First Department of Medicine, University of Mainz, Germany.
U
U
Pirzer
A
A
Schönhaar
B
B
Fleischer
E
E
Hermann
K H
KH
Meyer zum Büschenfelde
D000328:Adult; D000942:Antigens, Bacterial / Q000276:immunology*; D003424:Crohn Disease / Q000276:immunology*; D004926:Escherichia coli / Q000276:immunology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D066298:In Vitro Techniques; D007413:Intestinal Mucosa / Q000166:cytology / Q000276:immunology*; D008213:Lymphocyte Activation / Q000276:immunology*; D008297:Male; D009169:Mycobacterium tuberculosis / Q000276:immunology; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology*
D000942:Antigens, Bacterial