title: T-cell tumour necrosis factor-alpha receptor binding in demented patients.
abstract: Dementia of Alzheimer type (DAT) is a neurodegenerative disease of the central nervous system (CNS), in which an unbalanced cytokine network may lead to an altered immunoregulation. Tumour necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha is a cytokine with manifold effects on the neuroimmune system. Specific TNF-alpha receptors have been found on human peripheral blood lymphocytes. The aim of the present study has been to assay TNF-alpha binding on T cells from DAT patients and healthy sex- and age-matched controls. We found that T lymphocytes from demented patients bear significantly more p60 and p80 TNF-alpha receptors than those from controls (Bmax: 705, 29 vs 131, 6 (mean, SEM) receptors/cell). Such TNF-alpha binding sites, of the same type in DAT patients and healthy subjects (Kd: 67.6, 5.0 vs 70.7, 5.6 (mean, SEM) pM), are functional, since they are able to mediate in vitro NF-kappa B activation. These results are discussed in terms of DAT pathogenesis. Since it has been reported that activated T cells have more TNF-alpha receptors than resting cells, an increased number of lymphocyte TNF-alpha receptors might indicate a systemic immune activation in DAT patients as compared with healthy controls.
authors.affiliation: Scuola Superiore di Studi Universitari, Pisa, Italy.
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Bongioanni
authors.forename: M R
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: Romano
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Sposito
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Castagna
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Boccardi
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Borgna
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000097:blood*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D016131:Lymphocyte Subsets / Q000378:metabolism; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D018124:Receptors, Tumor Necrosis Factor / Q000378:metabolism*; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism*; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D018124:Receptors, Tumor Necrosis Factor; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha