title: Reduced frequency of memory CD8+ T lymphocytes in cerebrospinal fluid and blood of patients with multiple sclerosis.
abstract: Three color flow cytometry was used to analyze immunoregulatory lymphocyte subsets in peripheral blood (PB) and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of 21 patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) and 15 age-matched healthy control subjects. Two cell surface antigens associated with T lymphocyte memory and activation, CD45R0 and CD29, were analyzed on the CD4+ and CD8+ subpopulations, respectively. A selective decrease in the expression of the CD45R0 isoform among CD8+ cells was noted in both PB (p < 0.005) and CSF (p > 0.0001) of patients with MS as compared with the control group while the expression of CD29 did not differ between the groups. These changes could indicate a defective differentiation into mature memory CD8+ T lymphocytes in patients with MS. Furthermore, the CD3+CD16/56+ T lymphocyte subset capable of mediating NK cell-like activities was investigated. Although this cell population is quantitatively small, a significant reduction of the proportion of this cell type was detected in both BP and CSF of the MS group compared with the controls (p < 0.01 and p > 0.001, respectively). Further studies are needed to establish the role of these observations in the pathogenesis of MS.
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Neuroscience, University of Gothenburg, Sweden.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Svenningsson
authors.forename: O
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Andersen
authors.forename: G K
authors.initials: GK
authors.lastname: Hansson
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Stemme
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D015496:CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes; D018414:CD8-Positive T-Lymphocytes; D005434:Flow Cytometry; D006801:Humans; D019012:Integrin beta1; D017493:Leukocyte Common Antigens; D018655:Lymphocyte Count; D009103:Multiple Sclerosis / Q000097:blood* / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid*; D016176:T-Lymphocyte Subsets
chemical_list: D019012:Integrin beta1; D017493:Leukocyte Common Antigens