Spontaneous proliferation of and cytokine production by T cells adherent to human endothelial cells in patients with human T-lymphotropic virus type I-associated myelopathy.
We previously reported increased adherence of T cells to human endothelial cells (EC) in patients with HTLV-I-associated myelopathy (HAM). To define the immunological function of EC-adherent T cells from HAM patients, we investigated the degree of spontaneous proliferation and the production of inflammatory cytokines, such as tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha), interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma) and granulocyte-macrophage colony stimulating factor (GM-CSF). Both the degree of spontaneous proliferation and the production of TNF-alpha, IFN-gamma, and GM-CSF by EC-adherent T cells of HAM patients were significantly increased, compared to anti-HTLV-I seronegative controls. Furthermore, in HAM patients, spontaneous proliferation and production of inflammatory cytokines by EC-adherent T cells were significantly higher than that of EC-non-adherent T cells. Conversely, those functions of EC-non-adherent T cells were significantly lower than that of unseparated cells, which were T cells before application to EC. We demonstrated that EC-adherent T cells were qualitatively and quantitatively more hyperactive than those of anti-HTLV-I seronegative controls and the population of activated T cells of HAM patients was concentrated in EC-adherent T cells rather than in EC-non-adherent T cells. Our results suggest that EC-adherent T cells in the peripheral blood of HAM are intimately involved in the immunopathogenesis of HAM.
Nakamura
T
T
First Department of Internal Medicine, Nagasaki University School of Medicine.
Nishiura
Y
Y
Ichinose
K
K
Shirabe
S
S
Tsujino
A
A
Goto
H
H
Furuya
T
T
Nagataki
S
S
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002448:Cell Adhesion; D002455:Cell Division; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D016207:Cytokines / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D004730:Endothelium, Vascular / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D016178:Granulocyte-Macrophage Colony-Stimulating Factor / Q000096:biosynthesis; D015481:HTLV-I Antibodies / Q000276:immunology; D006801:Humans; D007371:Interferon-gamma / Q000096:biosynthesis; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015493:Paraparesis, Tropical Spastic / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha / Q000096:biosynthesis
D016207:Cytokines; D015481:HTLV-I Antibodies; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha; D007371:Interferon-gamma; D016178:Granulocyte-Macrophage Colony-Stimulating Factor