title: Presence of host-specific interleukin 2-secreting T helper cell precursors correlates closely with active primary and secondary chronic graft-versus-host disease.
abstract: We investigated the role of interleukin 2 (IL-2)-secreting T helper cell precursors (Th-p) in primary and secondary chronic graft-versus-host disease (GVHD). Twelve patients with chronic GVHD (8 primary and 4 secondary chronic GVHD) and 8 patients without chronic GVHD were investigated using a sensitive limiting dilution assay. High frequencies of host-reactive interleukin 2-secreting T helper cell precursors were detectable in all patients with chronic GVHD irrespective of the mode of onset. Host-reactive IL-2-secreting T helper cell precursors disappeared in patients whose GVHD resolved. Host-reactive IL-2-secreting T helper cell precursors were never found in the control patients without chronic GVHD. Host-reactive cytotoxic T cell precursors (CTL-p) were not consistently detectable in patients with chronic GVHD and were occasionally found in patients without GVHD. No autoreactive IL-2-secreting T helper cell precursors or cytotoxic T cell precursors were detectable in either group. The absence of autoreactive IL-2-secreting T helper cell precursors in patients was confirmed by clonal specificity analysis in 4 patients. These data suggest a role for host-reactive IL-2-secreting T helper cell precursors in the initiation and maintenance of chronic GVHD as previously shown for acute GVHD.
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine 3, University of Ulm, Germany.
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Bunjes
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Theobald
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Nierle
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Arnold
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Heimpel
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D016026:Bone Marrow Transplantation / Q000276:immunology*; D002999:Clone Cells; D003602:Cytotoxicity, Immunologic; D006086:Graft vs Host Disease / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans; D007376:Interleukin-2 / Q000378:metabolism*; D008875:Middle Aged; D006377:T-Lymphocytes, Helper-Inducer / Q000276:immunology*
chemical_list: D007376:Interleukin-2