Increased sialyl Lewis(x) antigen-positive cells mediated by HTLV-1 infection in peripheral blood CD4(+) T lymphocytes in patients with HTLV-1-associated myelopathy.
Sialyl Lewis(x) antigen-positive (sLe(x+)) cells play an important role in the first step of transmigration of T lymphocytes through vascular endothelial cells into tissues. We compared the proportion of sLe(x+) cells in peripheral blood CD4(+) T lymphocytes between patients with HTLV-1-associated myelopathy (HAM) and control patients, by using flow cytometry. The percentage of sLe(x+) cells in peripheral blood CD4(+) T lymphocytes was significantly higher in HAM patients compared to control patients. Interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma), but not interleukin-4 (IL-4), production by the sLe(x+) cell population of peripheral blood CD4(+) T lymphocytes was significantly higher in HAM patients than in control patients. In addition, comparison of the HTLV-1 proviral load between sLe(x+) and sLe(x-) cells in peripheral blood CD4(+) T lymphocytes of HAM patients showed that the HTLV-1 proviral load was significantly higher (two- to eight-fold), concomitant with enhanced IFN-gamma production, in the sLe(x+) than in the sLe(x-) cell population. Our findings indicate that the sLe(x+) cell population, which has features of activated Th1 cells with up-regulated expression of E- and P-selectin ligands mediated by HTLV-1 infection, is increased in peripheral blood CD4(+) T lymphocytes in HAM patients, suggesting their involvement in transmigration of peripheral T lymphocytes from the peripheral blood into tissues.
Kambara
Chiaki
C
First Department of Internal Medicine, Nagasaki University School of Medicine, Nagasaki, Japan.
Nakamura
Tatsufumi
T
Furuya
Takafumi
T
Nishiura
Yoshihiro
Y
Kawakami
Atsushi
A
Ichinose
Katsuhiro
K
Shirabe
Susumu
S
Eguchi
Katsumi
K
D000368:Aged; D015496:CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000821:virology; D019040:E-Selectin / Q000378:metabolism; D005260:Female; D005434:Flow Cytometry; D006801:Humans; D007371:Interferon-gamma / Q000096:biosynthesis; D015847:Interleukin-4 / Q000096:biosynthesis; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009844:Oligosaccharides / Q000378:metabolism*; D019007:P-Selectin / Q000378:metabolism; D015493:Paraparesis, Tropical Spastic / Q000276:immunology* / Q000378:metabolism; D000080506:Sialyl Lewis X Antigen; D018417:Th1 Cells / Q000378:metabolism / Q000821:virology; D019562:Viral Load
D019040:E-Selectin; D009844:Oligosaccharides; D019007:P-Selectin; D000080506:Sialyl Lewis X Antigen; D015847:Interleukin-4; D007371:Interferon-gamma