T-cell lines derived from lesional skin of lichen planus patients contain a distinctive population of T-cell receptor gamma delta-bearing cells.
Lichen planus is characterized by a dense infiltrate of T lymphocytes at the dermoepidermal junction. To determine the phenotypic and functional characteristics of the infiltrating lymphocytes, T-cell lines from normal and lesional skin from the same patients with lichen planus were established by culture with interleukin 2 followed by stimulation every 14 d with phytohemagglutinin and irradiated allogeneic feeder cells. Resultant T-cell lines were immunophenotyped by staining with monoclonal antibodies and their reactivity tested by determining their cytolytic activity to selected targets. T-cell lines from 13 lesional and nine normal biopsy specimens were studied. T-cell lines from normal skin were 61% CD4+ and 32% CD8+, whereas lines from lesional skin had significantly fewer CD4+ cells (13%) and more CD8+ cells (62%). T-cell lines from lesional skin contained a distinctive population of gamma delta T cells that was rarely present in lines derived from normal skin. We were able to culture gamma delta T cells out of the lesional skin of 12 of 13 patients. In these 12 patients, lesional T-cell lines were 17% gamma delta+ (range 2% to 47%). Only one T-cell line from normal skin contained significant numbers of gamma delta T cells. The gamma delta population from lesional skin was commonly V delta 1J delta 1+. These results suggest that CD8+ and TCR gamma delta+ T lymphocytes may be involved in the development or the maintenance of lichen planus.
Gadenne
A S
AS
Department of Dermatology and Cutaneous Biology Research Center (CBRC), Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts.
Strucke
R
R
Dunn
D
D
Wagner
M
M
Bleicher
P
P
Bigby
M
M
D002460:Cell Line; D006801:Humans; D016130:Immunophenotyping; D008010:Lichen Planus / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology*; D016692:Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell, gamma-delta / Q000378:metabolism*; D012016:Reference Values; D012867:Skin / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology*; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology / Q000502:physiology
D016692:Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell, gamma-delta