title: The cutaneous lesion in American leishmaniasis: leukocyte subsets, cellular interaction and cytokine production.
abstract: Interactions between immunocompetent cells require the participation of T cell antigen receptor (TCR) and the integrin lymphocyte function-associated molecule-1 (LFA-1, CD11a/CD18). These interactions are mediated by interlinking cytokines, which are important in determining the type of immune response. In the present study, we have shown that in American cutaneous leishmaniasis (ACL) lesions, most infiltrating T cells expressed the alpha beta TCR including those selectively migrating to the epidermis. In contrast, gamma delta T cells were abundant in localized (LCL) and scarce in muco-cutaneous (MCL) and diffuse (DCL) cutaneous leishmaniasis, suggesting a role in effective granulomas. There were differences in the expression of LFA-1 alpha and beta subunits, with most cells expressing LFA-1 beta. The ratio LFA-1 beta/LFA-1 alpha was higher in LCL (11.8:1) than in MCL (3.3:1) and DCL (2.4:1). Similar results were observed in Leishmania mexicana-infected C57BL/6 mice. DCL lesions showed a higher proportion of LFA-1 alpha+ cells than MCL and LCL lesions. A reverse-transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) analysis of the cytokine profiles showed that most T cells present in the MCL and DCL lesions secrete a mixture of Type 1 and Type 2 cytokine patterns, but in DCL granulomas predominate the Type 2 cytokines. In LCL the cytokine patterns show a preponderance of INF gamma over IL-4, and low levels of IL-5 and IL-10, suggesting a Type 1 cytokine profile.
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Biomedicina, Universidad Central de Venezuela, Caracas.
authors.forename: F J
authors.initials: FJ
authors.lastname: Tapia
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Caceres-Dittmar
authors.forename: M A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Sanchez
authors.forename: A E
authors.initials: AE
authors.lastname: Fernandez
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Convit
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; D015815:Cell Adhesion Molecules / Q000096:biosynthesis; D005260:Female; D006099:Granuloma / Q000276:immunology; D006801:Humans; D016773:Leishmaniasis, Cutaneous / Q000276:immunology*; D016774:Leishmaniasis, Diffuse Cutaneous / Q000276:immunology; D007897:Leishmaniasis, Mucocutaneous / Q000276:immunology; D016169:Lymphocyte Function-Associated Antigen-1 / Q000096:biosynthesis; D008222:Lymphokines / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000276:immunology; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D012194:RNA-Directed DNA Polymerase; D011948:Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell / Q000096:biosynthesis; D012867:Skin / Q000276:immunology*; D016176:T-Lymphocyte Subsets / Q000276:immunology*; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology
chemical_list: D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; D015815:Cell Adhesion Molecules; D016169:Lymphocyte Function-Associated Antigen-1; D008222:Lymphokines; D011948:Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell; D012194:RNA-Directed DNA Polymerase