title: CD4 and CD8 lymphocyte subsets in cerebrospinal fluid and peripheral blood from patients with multiple sclerosis, meningitis and normal controls.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To study the distribution of CD4+ and CD8+ T-cell subsets in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and peripheral blood from patients with multiple sclerosis (MS), meningitis, other neurological diseases and healthy controls.
  
  
  METHODS
  The expression of markers for naive and memory cells (CD45RA+ and CD45R0+), and helper/inducer cells (CD29+) on CD4+ cells as well as CD45R0+ and killer/effector (S6F1+) on CD8+ cells was investigated in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and peripheral blood from patients with multiple sclerosis (n=28), meningitis (n=13), other neurological diseases (n=16), and healthy controls (n=16) by 2-color flow cytometry.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The majority of T cells in the CSF of the 4 groups exhibited the phenotype of memory cells (CD45R0+) on both CD4+ and CD8+ cells. The proportion of helper/inducer (CD29+CD4+ in CD4+) cells was also larger in the CSF compared to peripheral blood in the 3 patient groups and controls investigated. In contrast, CD8+ cells with killer/effector (S6F1+) phenotype were fewer in CSF compared to peripheral blood in all 4 groups. There were no significant differences between patients and controls regarding the distribution of these activation markers in the CSF or peripheral blood.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our observations support the notion that activated T cells of both CD4+ and CD8+ phenotype selectively pass the blood-brain barrier under both pathological and normal conditions.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, University Hospital, Linköping, Sweden.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Vrethem
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Dahle
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Ekerfelt
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Forsberg
authors.forename: O
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Danielsson
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Ernerudh
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D015703:Antigens, CD / Q000097:blood / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid; D001812:Blood-Brain Barrier / Q000276:immunology; D016516:CD4-CD8 Ratio; D015496:CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology*; D018414:CD8-Positive T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology*; D002555:Cerebrospinal Fluid / Q000166:cytology* / Q000276:immunology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008213:Lymphocyte Activation / Q000276:immunology; D008297:Male; D008581:Meningitis / Q000276:immunology*; D008875:Middle Aged; D009103:Multiple Sclerosis / Q000276:immunology*; D010641:Phenotype; D012016:Reference Values; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric
chemical_list: D015703:Antigens, CD; D015415:Biomarkers