Abnormal distribution of gammadelta T lymphocytes in Graves' disease and insulin-dependent diabetes type 1.
There is an increasing evidence that CD3+ cells, bearing gammadelta T cell receptors representing a minor subpopulation of T cells in the peripheral blood of humans are involved in the development of autoimmunity. The aim of the present study was determination of the gammadelta T cell subpopulation levels in the peripheral blood of subjects with Graves' disease and newly diagnosed type 1 diabetes in comparison to age-matched healthy controls. The percentages of CD3+, CD8+, gammadelta TCR+CD8+, gammadelta TCR+CD8- lymphocyte subsets were measured by flow cytometry. In the peripheral blood of newly diagnosed Graves' disease patients we showed a significant decrease of gammadelta TCR+ cells and gammadelta TCR+CD8- subset content in comparison to the percentages observed in subjects after methimazole treatment and in healthy controls. We also found a significant increase of gammadelta TCR+CD8+ cells in the peripheral blood of subjects with insulin-dependent diabetes, treated with insulin for 3-6 months. The present findings confirm our previous hypothesis that gammadelta TCR+CD8+ lymphocyte subset could play a role in the pathogenesis of diabetes type 1, probably as regulatory T cells and could be induced by delivery of exogenous insulin. Our results suggest that gammadelta T cells (gammadelta TCR+CD8- subset) could also play an important role in the development of Graves' disease and that their levels are modulated by thyreostatic treatment.
Kretowski
A
A
Department of Endocrinology, University Medical School, Białystok, Poland. akretows@amb.ac.bialystok.pl
Myśliwiec
J
J
Kinalska
I
I
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D013956:Antithyroid Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D017252:CD3 Complex / Q000378:metabolism; D018414:CD8-Positive T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D003922:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 1 / Q000276:immunology*; D005260:Female; D006111:Graves Disease / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008713:Methimazole / Q000627:therapeutic use; D016692:Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell, gamma-delta / Q000378:metabolism*; D016176:T-Lymphocyte Subsets / Q000276:immunology*
D013956:Antithyroid Agents; D017252:CD3 Complex; D016692:Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell, gamma-delta; D008713:Methimazole