title: Elevated CD40 ligand expressing blood T-cell levels in multiple sclerosis are reversed by interferon-beta treatment.
abstract: Myelin protein reactive CD4+ T cells are considered to be involved in the proposed immunopathogenesis of multiple sclerosis (MS). One particularly important molecule for T-cell activation is the CD40L (gp39) that is expressed on the surface of T cells. This study focuses on the CD40 and the CD40L expression on mononuclear cells prepared from blood from patients with MS, other neurological diseases (OND) and healthy subjects. Immunostaining followed by a three channel flow cytometry was adopted. Patients with MS had higher levels of CD3+CD40L+, CD4+CD40L+ and CD8+CD40L+ T cells compared to patients with OND and healthy subjects. Cross-sectional comparisons revealed that the elevation of CD40L+ T cell subtypes was confined to the patients with untreated MS and not observed in the patients with MS treated with interferon-beta (IFN-beta). Follow up studies showed that levels of CD3+CD40L+ and CD4+CD40L+ T cells decreased in individual patients after the initiation of the IFN-beta treatment. The enhanced expression of CD40L on CD3+, CD4+ and CD8+ T cells in patients with MS may implicate a role for this molecule in disease immunopathogenesis.
authors.affiliation: Division of Neurology, Neuroimmunology Unit, Karolinska Institutet, Huddinge University Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden.
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Teleshova
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Bao
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Kivisäkk
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Ozenci
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Mustafa
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Link
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D018951:Antigens, CD20 / Q000096:biosynthesis; D017252:CD3 Complex / Q000096:biosynthesis; D015704:CD4 Antigens / Q000096:biosynthesis; D016516:CD4-CD8 Ratio; D019013:CD40 Antigens / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000097:blood / Q000276:immunology; D023201:CD40 Ligand; D016827:CD8 Antigens / Q000096:biosynthesis; D005260:Female; D005434:Flow Cytometry; D006801:Humans; D016130:Immunophenotyping; D000068556:Interferon beta-1a; D000068576:Interferon beta-1b; D016899:Interferon-beta / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D008024:Ligands; D018950:Lipopolysaccharide Receptors / Q000096:biosynthesis; D008297:Male; D008562:Membrane Glycoproteins / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000097:blood / Q000276:immunology; D008875:Middle Aged; D009103:Multiple Sclerosis / Q000097:blood / Q000276:immunology*; D009422:Nervous System Diseases / Q000276:immunology; D011994:Recombinant Proteins / Q000494:pharmacology; D016176:T-Lymphocyte Subsets / Q000276:immunology* / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D018951:Antigens, CD20; D017252:CD3 Complex; D015704:CD4 Antigens; D019013:CD40 Antigens; D016827:CD8 Antigens; D008024:Ligands; D018950:Lipopolysaccharide Receptors; D008562:Membrane Glycoproteins; D011994:Recombinant Proteins; D000068576:Interferon beta-1b; D023201:CD40 Ligand; D016899:Interferon-beta; D000068556:Interferon beta-1a