Differential gene expression by integrin beta 7+ and beta 7- memory T helper cells.
BACKGROUND
The cell adhesion molecule integrin alpha 4 beta 7 helps direct the migration of blood lymphocytes to the intestine and associated lymphoid tissues. We hypothesized that beta 7+ and beta 7- blood memory T helper cells differ in their expression of genes that play a role in the adhesion or migration of T cells.


RESULTS
RNA was prepared from beta 7+ and beta 7- CD4+ CD45RA- blood T cells from nine normal human subjects and analyzed using oligonucleotide microarrays. Of 21357 genes represented on the arrays, 16 were more highly expressed in beta 7+ cells and 18 were more highly expressed in beta 7- cells (>/=1.5 fold difference and adjusted P < 0.05). Several of the differentially expressed transcripts encode proteins with established or putative roles in lymphocyte adhesion and chemotaxis, including the chemokine receptors CCR9 and CCR10, the integrin alpha 4 subunit, L-selectin, KLRB1 (CD161), NT5E (CD73), LGALS1 and LGALS2 (galectin-1 and -2), and RGS1. Flow cytometry was used to determine whether differences in levels of transcripts encoding cell surface proteins were associated with differential expression of those proteins. Using this approach, we found that surface expression of KLRB1, LAIR1, and NT5E proteins was higher on beta 7+ memory/effector T cells than on beta 7- cells.


CONCLUSIONS
Memory/effector T cells that express integrin beta 7 have a distinct pattern of expression of a set of gene transcripts. Several of these molecules can affect cell adhesion or chemotaxis and are therefore likely to modulate the complex multistep process that regulates trafficking of CD4+ memory T cell subsets with different homing behaviors.
Rodriguez
Madeleine W
MW
Department of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, CA 94143-0854, USA. mwillkorn@yahoo.com
Paquet
Agnés C
AC
Yang
Yee Hwa
YH
Erle
David J
DJ
D000328:Adult; D015496:CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes / Q000378:metabolism*; D002448:Cell Adhesion / Q000235:genetics; D015815:Cell Adhesion Molecules / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000235:genetics; D002462:Cell Membrane / Q000378:metabolism; D002633:Chemotaxis / Q000235:genetics; D005260:Female; D005434:Flow Cytometry; D020869:Gene Expression Profiling; D006801:Humans; D007156:Immunologic Memory; D039641:Integrin beta Chains / Q000032:analysis*; D008297:Male; D008565:Membrane Proteins / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000235:genetics; D020411:Oligonucleotide Array Sequence Analysis; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000235:genetics; D019707:Receptors, Chemokine / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000235:genetics; D016176:T-Lymphocyte Subsets / Q000378:metabolism*; D014158:Transcription, Genetic
D015815:Cell Adhesion Molecules; D039641:Integrin beta Chains; D008565:Membrane Proteins; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D019707:Receptors, Chemokine; C091368:integrin beta7