Characterization of a T-cell subset prevalent in immunoregulatory disorders in humans.
T cells from individuals with certain autoimmune diseases (rheumatoid arthritis, graft-versus-host disease, acquired immunodeficiency syndrome) express high levels of a cell surface sialoglycoprotein with a molecular weight of 140 kDa (gp140). Although a low frequency of gp 140+ T cells was detected in the blood of normal individuals, upon stimulation with autologous EBV-transformed B cells (AMLR), the frequency of expression of gp140 was increased threefold. To further characterize gp 140+ T cells, rosetting techniques with ox erythrocytes coated with monoclonal anti-gp 140 antibody were used to isolate T-cell subsets for phenotypic, cell cycle, and functional analysis. The majority of gp140+ T cells expressed cytotoxic/suppressor (CD8+) phenotype in both normal and AMLR-activated states. Unstimulated gp140+ T cells had significantly greater nucleic acid content, as measured by acridine orange and flow cytometry, than gp140- T cells. Surprisingly, the gp140+ T-cell subset had a less proliferative response in vitro to pokeweed or phytohemaglutinin mitogens. These results suggest that gp140+ T cells in normal individuals and in patients with autoimmune diseases may have been activated previously in vivo and that they are relatively resistant to reactivation in vitro.
D000945:Antigens, Differentiation, T-Lymphocyte / Q000032:analysis; D001327:Autoimmune Diseases / Q000276:immunology* / Q000473:pathology; D003602:Cytotoxicity, Immunologic; D006801:Humans; D007153:Immunologic Deficiency Syndromes / Q000276:immunology* / Q000473:pathology; D008213:Lymphocyte Activation; D007959:Lymphocyte Culture Test, Mixed; D012795:Sialoglycoproteins / Q000502:physiology*; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000145:classification / Q000276:immunology*
D000945:Antigens, Differentiation, T-Lymphocyte; D012795:Sialoglycoproteins