Appearance of gamma delta T cell receptor-positive cells following alpha beta T cell receptor-positive cells in the lepromin reaction of human skin.
To elucidate the involvement of human gamma delta T cell receptor (TcR)+ cells in mycobacterial infection, we examined the kinetics of these cells in skin lesions of human lepromin reaction. The majority of CD3+ cells two days after induction of the lepromin reaction were alpha beta TcR+, while gamma delta TcR+ cells accounted for only 4.4 +/- 1.4% of the CD3+ cells. On day 21, the incidence of gamma delta TcR+ cells was greater (16.0 +/- 2.1%), although alpha beta TcR+ cells remained the predominant population. These kinetics of alpha beta TcR+ cells and gamma delta TcR+ cells contradict the 'early response, self-surveillance' hypothesis for gamma delta TcR+ cells in mice. Most of the gamma delta TcR+ cells in this study of the lepromin reaction were V delta 1- V delta 2+ V delta 9+, and some of them proliferated in the skin lesions, suggesting that gamma delta TcR+ cells in the lesions may respond to mycobacterial antigens and may play an active part in the lepromin reaction. However, these gamma delta TcR+ cells were not correlated with granuloma formation, the size of necrotic areas, mycobacterial content, or the incidence of CD4+ cells and CD8+ cells.
Fujita
M
M
Department of Dermatology, Faculty of Medicine, Kyoto University, Japan.
Miyachi
Y
Y
Nakata
K
K
Imamura
S
S
D005455:Fluorescent Antibody Technique; D006801:Humans; D007700:Kinetics; D007916:Lepromin; D007918:Leprosy / Q000276:immunology; D009166:Mycobacterium leprae / Q000276:immunology; D016693:Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell, alpha-beta / Q000378:metabolism*; D016692:Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell, gamma-delta / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D012867:Skin / Q000166:cytology / Q000276:immunology; D016176:T-Lymphocyte Subsets / Q000276:immunology*
D016693:Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell, alpha-beta; D016692:Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell, gamma-delta; D007916:Lepromin