title: Subsets of T-cells and in vitro cytokine production after measles and varicellae-zoster virus antigen stimulation in allogeneic BMT patients.
abstract: This study was performed to analyse differences in T-cell proliferation induced by a latent virus, varicellae-zoster virus (VZV) and a non-latent virus, measles virus, in patients after allogeneic bone marrow transplantation (BMT). The lymphoproliferative response to measles antigen, VZV-antigen (VZV-ag), and phytohemagglutinin (PHA) was measured by 3H-thymidine incorporation, and interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma) and interleukin-10 (IL-10) analyses in supernatants after in vitro stimulation of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) from 22 patients and 18 healthy controls. The cytokine levels were correlated with T-cell subsets by FACS analyses. At the antigen concentrations used, VZV-ag induced higher levels of IFN-gamma (p < 0.05) than did the measles antigen, whereas the levels of IL-10 were similar. Patients without a cell mediated immune (CMI) response to VZV-ag or measles antigen had lower CD4+ T-cell counts than did controls (p < 0.01 in both cases) and lower IFN-gamma production after non-specific PHA stimulation (p <0.01). The IFN-gamma and IL-10 levels after measles antigen stimulation correlated with the number of CD4+ T-cells (p < 0.01 and p < 0.05, respectively), and after VZV-ag mainly to the number of CD8+ T-cells (p < 0.01 and p < 0.05, respectively). These results suggest that there is a difference in the types of T-cells that respond to VZV-ag and measles antigen stimulation, respectively. The impaired CMI response to viral antigens seen in many patients may be explained both by a low number of CD4+ T-cells and by a cell dysfunction.
authors.affiliation: Department of Infectious Diseases, Uppsala University, University Hospital Uppsala, Sweden.
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Pauksen
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Sjölin
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Linde
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Andersson
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Lenkei
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Oberg
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Ljungman
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000956:Antigens, Viral / Q000276:immunology; D016026:Bone Marrow Transplantation / Q000276:immunology*; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D014645:Herpesvirus 3, Human / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans; D007111:Immunity, Cellular / Q000276:immunology; D007223:Infant; D007371:Interferon-gamma / Q000378:metabolism*; D016753:Interleukin-10 / Q000378:metabolism*; D007963:Leukocytes, Mononuclear / Q000821:virology*; D008213:Lymphocyte Activation; D008459:Measles virus / Q000276:immunology*; D008875:Middle Aged; D010835:Phytohemagglutinins / Q000276:immunology; D016176:T-Lymphocyte Subsets / Q000276:immunology*
chemical_list: D000956:Antigens, Viral; D010835:Phytohemagglutinins; D016753:Interleukin-10; D007371:Interferon-gamma