Immunological abnormalities in HTLV-I-associated myelopathy: spontaneous release of interleukin-2 and interleukin-2 receptor by peripheral blood lymphocytes.
Ten patients with human T lymphotropic virus type I-associated myelopathy (HAM), 5 asymptomatic HTLV-I carriers and 11 healthy normal volunteers were studied to determine if peripheral blood lymphocytes spontaneously release IL-2 and soluble IL-2 receptors. Peripheral blood lymphocytes obtained from HAM patients proliferated spontaneously when cultured for 5 days in vitro. Proliferating cells were CD3+ lymphocytes and both CD4+ cells and CD8+ cells as shown by morphologic and immunohistochemical observations. These T cell responses were also found in asymptomatic carriers, but the responses were not as marked as those of HAM patients. IL-2 activity in the culture supernatants was much higher in HAM patients than in asymptomatic carriers; IL-2 activity correlated well with the intensity of spontaneous proliferation of lymphocytes. Furthermore, soluble IL-2 receptors in the cell-free supernatants from HAM patients were markedly increased compared to those from asymptomatic carriers. These results indicate that spontaneous proliferation of T cells is intimately related to HTLV-I infection and is probably due to autocrine or paracrine pathways which involve IL-2 and IL-2 receptor system.
Li
Q
Q
Department of Hygiene, Kagoshima University Faculty of Medicine, Japan.
Sugimoto
M
M
Imamura
F
F
Matsushita
T
T
Araki
S
S
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002353:Carrier State; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D004261:DNA Replication; D006800:Deltaretrovirus Infections / Q000097:blood / Q000276:immunology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007376:Interleukin-2 / Q000378:metabolism*; D008213:Lymphocyte Activation; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015493:Paraparesis, Tropical Spastic / Q000097:blood / Q000276:immunology*; D015375:Receptors, Interleukin-2 / Q000378:metabolism*; D016176:T-Lymphocyte Subsets; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000378:metabolism*
D007376:Interleukin-2; D015375:Receptors, Interleukin-2