title: Increased mRNA expression of Th1-cytokine signaling molecules in patients with HTLV-I-associated myelopathy/tropical spastic paraparesis.
abstract: Expression of inflammatory cytokines derived from Th1 cell population is increased in patients with human T-lymphotropic virus type I (HTLV-I)-associated myelopathy/tropical spastic paraparesis (HAM/TSP). It has been shown that cytokine signaling molecules, including transcription factors T-bet and GATA-3, interleukin-12 receptor beta 2 (IL-12R beta 2) and suppressors of cytokine signaling (SOCS), such as SOCS1, are important in differentiation of naive T cells into Th1 helper T cells. To assess the immunological status from the stand-point of cytokine signaling in patients with HAM/TSP, we analyzed mRNA expression of these cytokine signaling molecules in peripheral blood mononuclear cells using quantitative RT-PCR. Twenty-eight HAM/TSP patients, nine HTLV-I-infected individuals without HAM/TSP and twenty-two HTLV-I-uninfected individuals were included in this study. Expression of T-bet, GATA-3, IL-12R beta 2 and SOCS1 was significantly increased in HAM/TSP patients in comparison with HTLV-I-uninfected individuals. In contrast, expression of SOCS3, a marker for Th2 cells, was significantly decreased in HTLV-I-infected individuals. These results indicate that HAM/TSP patients are associated with increased Th1 and decreased Th2 cytokine signaling activities.
authors.affiliation: First Department of Internal Medicine, Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Nagasaki University, Nagasaki 852-8501, Japan. yoshihironishiura@hotmail.com
authors.forename: Yoshihiro
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Nishiura
authors.forename: Tatsufumi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Nakamura
authors.forename: Naomi
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Fukushima
authors.forename: Ryozo
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Moriuchi
authors.forename: Shigeru
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Katamine
authors.forename: Katsumi
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Eguchi
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D016207:Cytokines / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D005260:Female; D015490:HTLV-I Infections / Q000276:immunology; D015368:Human T-lymphotropic virus 1 / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D007963:Leukocytes, Mononuclear / Q000276:immunology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015493:Paraparesis, Tropical Spastic / Q000276:immunology*; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000378:metabolism*; D015398:Signal Transduction / Q000502:physiology; D013223:Statistics as Topic; D018417:Th1 Cells / Q000276:immunology* / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D016207:Cytokines; D012333:RNA, Messenger