Expression of decay-accelerating factor and CD59 in lymphocyte subsets of healthy individuals and paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria patients.
The expression of phosphatidylinositol (PI)-anchored complement-regulatory membrane proteins on circulating blood cells has been well clarified; however, the PI proteins on lymphocyte subsets have not been fully analyzed yet. We examined the expression of decay-accelerating factor (DAF) and CD59 on the T lymphocytes (CD2+, CD3+, CD4+, and CD8+) and CD20+ B lymphocytes in ten healthy volunteers and 12 paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria (PNH) patients by cytofluorometry. In healthy controls, each subset of lymphocytes showed a small population of cells weakly positive and a large population of cells strongly positive for DAF and CD59, while erythrocytes showed a single population of cells positive for the PI proteins. The two-population expression of DAF was most distinctive in CD8+ T cells among the subsets. In PNH, each subset of lymphocytes showed a moderately higher population of cells weakly positive and a smaller population of cells strongly positive for the membrane proteins compared with those in the healthy controls. Moreover, in some PNH cases, a negative population for the proteins was found in all subsets. Thus the analysis of PI-anchored proteins on lymphocytes subsets (especially CD8+ T cells) was considered to be of diagnostic value in PNH patients who receive blood transfusion after hemolytic attack of affected erythrocytes. Furthermore, the two-population expression of PI proteins in normal lymphocytes suggests that membrane PI protein would be a new subset marker of lymphocytes.
Nagakura
S
S
Second Department of Internal Medicine, Kumamoto University School of Medicine, Japan.
Nakakuma
H
H
Horikawa
K
K
Hidaka
M
M
Kagimoto
T
T
Kawakita
M
M
Tomita
M
M
Takatsuki
K
K
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D015703:Antigens, CD / Q000097:blood*; D016175:B-Lymphocyte Subsets / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism*; D001792:Blood Platelets / Q000378:metabolism; D001798:Blood Proteins / Q000032:analysis*; D018958:CD55 Antigens; D018957:CD59 Antigens; D004912:Erythrocytes / Q000378:metabolism; D005260:Female; D005434:Flow Cytometry; D006457:Hemoglobinuria, Paroxysmal / Q000097:blood* / Q000276:immunology; D006801:Humans; D007962:Leukocytes / Q000378:metabolism; D008297:Male; D008562:Membrane Glycoproteins / Q000097:blood*; D008875:Middle Aged; D012016:Reference Values; D016176:T-Lymphocyte Subsets / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism*
D015703:Antigens, CD; D001798:Blood Proteins; D018958:CD55 Antigens; D018957:CD59 Antigens; D008562:Membrane Glycoproteins