Phenotypic study of CD4+ and CD8+ lymphocyte subsets in relation to cytomegalovirus carrier status and its correlate with pokeweed mitogen-induced B lymphocyte differentiation.
A characteristic of active cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection is its suppressive effect on in vitro assays of immune function. The expression of CD11b by the Cd4+ and Cd8+ lymphocytes allows the identification of subsets with distinct regulatory functions of pokeweed mitogen (PWM) induced B cell differentiation. In order to relate that result with our previous observation that CMV carriers have significantly increased numbers of CD4+, HNK1+ and CD8+, HNK1+ lymphocytes in their peripheral blood compared with non-carriers, we performed a three-colour flow cytometric analysis of the co-expression of Cd11b and HNK1 by CD4+ and CD8+ lymphocytes obtained from 27 CMV carriers and 42 non-carriers. The differences between CMV carriers and non-carriers were significant for the CD4+, HNK1+ lymphocytes (median [5th and 95th percentiles], 59 [18 and 123 versus 24/7 and 73 per mm3, respectively; P less than 0.001) and CD8+, HNK1+ lymphocytes (59 [18 259] versus 52 [23 and 139] per mm3; P less than 0.001), but not for the CD4+, CD11b+ lymphocytes (59 [18 and 135] versus 52 [17 and 104] per mm3) and the CD8+, CD11b+ lymphocytes (85 [34 and 293] versus 82 [21 and 248] per mm3). The CD4+, HNK1+ and CD8+, HNK1+ lymphocytes that were increased in CMV carriers compared with non-carriers included mostly CD11b-, but also CD11b+ lymphocytes. After sorting CD4+ and CD8+ lymphocytes for four CMV carriers into HNK1+ and HNK1- fractions, we analyzed their regulatory functions on PWM-driven B cell Helper function to PWM-driven B cell differentiation was exclusively associated with the CD4+, HNK1- lymphocytes; the CD4+, HNK1+ generally did not show helper or suppressor activity in this assay. Both CD8+, HNK1+ and CD8+, HNK1- lymphocytes showed suppressor activity. Thus, the NHK1 marker does not constitute a phenotypical correlate for suppressor cells of PWM-driven B-cell differentiation.
Gratama
J W
JW
Department of Immunohaematology, University Hospital, Leiden, The Netherlands.
Langelaar
R A
RA
Oosterveer
M A
MA
van der Linden
J A
JA
den Ouden-Noordermeer
A
A
Naipal
A M
AM
Visser
J W
JW
de Gast
G C
GC
Tanke
H J
HJ
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000943:Antigens, Differentiation / Q000032:analysis; D000945:Antigens, Differentiation, T-Lymphocyte / Q000032:analysis; D001402:B-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology*; D018959:CD57 Antigens; D016827:CD8 Antigens; D002353:Carrier State / Q000276:immunology*; D003586:Cytomegalovirus Infections / Q000276:immunology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008213:Lymphocyte Activation; D016177:Macrophage-1 Antigen; D008297:Male; D008562:Membrane Glycoproteins / Q000032:analysis; D011043:Pokeweed Mitogens; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000145:classification* / Q000276:immunology
D000943:Antigens, Differentiation; D000945:Antigens, Differentiation, T-Lymphocyte; D018959:CD57 Antigens; D016827:CD8 Antigens; D016177:Macrophage-1 Antigen; D008562:Membrane Glycoproteins; D011043:Pokeweed Mitogens