Chemokine receptor CCR7 is expressed in muscle fibers in juvenile dermatomyositis.
To better elucidate the pathogenesis of lymphocyte recruitment of memory CD4(+) T cells in inflammatory myopathies, we studied the expression of CCR5 and CCR7 on CD4 memory T cells in muscle tissue from 11 patients with juvenile dermatomyositis, six adult patients with polymyositis, two patients with Duchenne muscular dystrophy, and two patients with spinal muscular atrophy. A prevalent infiltration of CCR5(+) effector CD4 T memory cells is observed in inflammatory myopathies. Moreover, we found a strong expression of CCR7 in perifascicular atrophic and in degenerating/regenerating muscle fibers in juvenile dermatomyositis (JDM) but not in fibers from adult polymyositis and Duchenne muscular dystrophy. The selective expression of CCR7 in JDM may open new perspectives in the understanding of the pathogenesis of inflammatory myopathies, offering a new tool for the differential diagnosis of these disorders.
Minetti
Carlo
C
Neuromuscular Disease Unit, University of Genova and G. Gaslini Institute, Genoa, Italy. minettic@unige.it
Gattorno
Marco
M
Repetto
Silvia
S
Gregorio
Andrea
A
Pedemonte
Marina
M
Assereto
Stefania
S
Zara
Federico
F
Bruno
Claudio
C
Martini
Alberto
A
D002478:Cells, Cultured; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003882:Dermatomyositis / Q000276:immunology* / Q000378:metabolism; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D018485:Muscle Fibers, Skeletal / Q000276:immunology* / Q000378:metabolism; D018482:Muscle, Skeletal / Q000276:immunology* / Q000378:metabolism; D019713:Receptors, CCR5 / Q000276:immunology* / Q000378:metabolism; D054400:Receptors, CCR7; D019707:Receptors, Chemokine / Q000276:immunology* / Q000378:metabolism; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology* / Q000378:metabolism; D014018:Tissue Distribution
C515370:CCR7 protein, human; D019713:Receptors, CCR5; D054400:Receptors, CCR7; D019707:Receptors, Chemokine