Similar T-cell oligoclonality in antimitochondrial antibody-positive and -negative primary biliary cirrhosis.
Approximately 5% of patients with clinical and histological features suggestive of primary biliary cirrhosis do not have anti-mitochondrial antibodies that can be detected by current methodologies. Although the role of these autoantibodies in the pathogenesis of liver disease is uncertain, T lymphocytes within the portal tracts are felt to be important mediators of bile duct destruction. In order to investigate the hypothesis that a similar T-cell process may be involved in both antimitochondrial antibody-positive and -negative primary biliary cirrhosis, we characterized the oligoclonally expanded T cells in both types of patients by analysis of complementarity determining region 3 length in peripheral blood mononuclear cells. The distribution of oligoclonally expanded T cells was similar in both groups. This finding does not support a distinct T-cell-mediated pathogenesis for anti-mitochondrial antibody-positive and -negative primary biliary cirrhosis but rather suggests that similar processes may be involved in the immunopathogenesis of both.
Department of Internal Medicine, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas, 75390-9151, USA.
M J
MJ
Mayo
P E
PE
Lipsky
S N
SN
Miller
P
P
Stastny
B
B
Combes
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001323:Autoantibodies / Q000097:blood* / Q000235:genetics; D001706:Biopsy; D022801:Complementarity Determining Regions / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology; D006650:Histocompatibility Testing; D006801:Humans; D007136:Immunoglobulins / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology*; D008105:Liver Cirrhosis, Biliary / Q000097:blood* / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000276:immunology*; D008875:Middle Aged; D008928:Mitochondria / Q000276:immunology*; D043025:Oligoclonal Bands; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology*
D001323:Autoantibodies; D022801:Complementarity Determining Regions; D007136:Immunoglobulins; D043025:Oligoclonal Bands