T cells in bullous pemphigoid. Presence of activated CD4+ T cells at the basement membrane zone in pre- and peri-bullous skin.
Bullous pemphigoid (BP) is an auto-immune blistering skin disease associated with the presence of autoantibodies directed to BP antigens located at the basement membrane zone of the dermal-epidermal junction. The present study was designed to test for the involvement of cellular immune mechanisms in the pathogenesis of blister formation. An immunohistochemical analysis of the lesional, peri-lesional, and pre-lesional mononuclear cell infiltrates, performed in 7 BP patients, revealed the following observations: 1) all the skin biopsies contained a high percentage of mononuclear cells within the inflammatory cellular infiltrate; 2) T cells (CD3+, CD45RO+), with a phenotype of activated helper T cell (CD4+, CD25+) were consistently found; 3) T cells were found beneath the bullae but, more importantly, also at the dermal-epidermal junction in close contact with the basement membrane zone in pre- and peri-bullous lesions. These results show that activated T cells are found at the early phase of the onset of BP lesions and suggest that they could play a role, in association with autoantibodies, in the pathogenesis of bulla formation.
Michalaki
H
H
Clinique Dermatologique, INSERM U.209, Hopital Edouard-Herriot, Lyon, France.
Nicolas
J F
JF
Kanitakis
J
J
Machado
P
P
Roche
P
P
Thivolet
J
J
D015703:Antigens, CD / Q000032:analysis; D001485:Basement Membrane / Q000473:pathology; D015496:CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology*; D006801:Humans; D007111:Immunity, Cellular; D007124:Immunoenzyme Techniques; D016130:Immunophenotyping; D008213:Lymphocyte Activation; D010391:Pemphigoid, Bullous / Q000473:pathology*; D012867:Skin / Q000473:pathology*; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology*; D006377:T-Lymphocytes, Helper-Inducer
D015703:Antigens, CD