Cytokine gene activation and modified responsiveness to interleukin-2 in the blood of tuberculosis patients.
Selected parameters of cellular immunity relating to cytokine gene activation and responsiveness to interleukin-2 (IL-2) were analyzed in 27 patients with active pulmonary tuberculosis and no human immunodeficiency virus type 1 infection. Cytokine mRNAs were not expressed by peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) of normal controls. In PBMC of tuberculosis patients, messages for IL-1, IL-8, and tumor necrosis factor-alpha were uniformly expressed, whereas PBMC of only 5 of 18 patients expressed IL-6. PBMC of 7 patients (all of those with systemic symptoms) expressed interferon-gamma mRNA and none expressed IL-2 mRNA. Most patients' cells demonstrated IL-4 mRNA. Limiting dilution analysis of IL-2-responsive cells in PBMC revealed that tuberculosis patients had 10-fold fewer IL-2-responsive cells than did controls.
Rockefeller University, New York, New York.
V
V
Schauf
W N
WN
Rom
K A
KA
Smith
E P
EP
Sampaio
P A
PA
Meyn
J M
JM
Tramontana
Z A
ZA
Cohn
G
G
Kaplan
D016207:Cytokines / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000097:blood / Q000235:genetics*; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation / Q000187:drug effects; D006801:Humans; D007111:Immunity, Cellular; D007376:Interleukin-2 / Q000494:pharmacology*; D007958:Leukocyte Count; D008214:Lymphocytes / Q000187:drug effects / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000302:isolation & purification; D012016:Reference Values; D015533:Transcriptional Activation; D014374:Tuberculin Test; D014397:Tuberculosis, Pulmonary / Q000097:blood / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology*
D016207:Cytokines; D007376:Interleukin-2; D012333:RNA, Messenger