Upregulation of T-bet expression in peripheral blood mononuclear cells during Vogt-Koyanagi-Harada disease.
OBJECTIVE
To test the hypothesis that T-bet expression is altered in patients with Vogt-Koyanagi-Harada (VKH) disease.


METHODS
Peripheral blood was withdrawn from 16 VKH patients before and after immunosuppressive treatment and from 16 healthy individuals. IFN-gamma, IL-2, and IL-4 in the serum and the supernatants of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) cultured with or without phytohaemagglutinin (PHA) were measured by ELISA. T-bet mRNA and protein expression in PBMC cultured with or without PHA was detected by RT-PCR and western blot, respectively.


RESULTS
The level of IFN-gamma, but not IL-2 and IL-4, was significantly higher in the supernatants of stimulated PBMC in patients than in controls. A significantly increased T-bet mRNA was found in VKH patients during an active uveitis episode, but not in quiescent patients, compared to controls. T-bet protein was detectable in VKH patients during an active uveitis episode, but not in quiescent patients nor in the healthy controls. Stimulation of PBMC with PHA resulted in a marked upregulation of T-bet mRNA and protein expression for both patients and controls with no significant difference between the two groups.


CONCLUSIONS
Upregulation of T-bet may be associated with the development of a Th1 mediated immune response in VKH disease.
Li
B
B
Zhongshan Ophthalmic Center, Sun Yat-sen University, 54 Xianlie Road, Guangzhou 510060, P R China.
Yang
P
P
Zhou
H
H
Huang
X
X
Jin
H
H
Chu
L
L
Gao
Y
Y
Zhu
L
L
Kijlstra
A
A
D000328:Adult; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D016207:Cytokines / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000097:blood; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007963:Leukocytes, Mononuclear / Q000276:immunology; D008297:Male; D010835:Phytohemagglutinins / Q000276:immunology; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000235:genetics; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction / Q000379:methods; D020825:T-Box Domain Proteins; D018417:Th1 Cells / Q000276:immunology; D014157:Transcription Factors / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000235:genetics; D015854:Up-Regulation / Q000276:immunology*; D014607:Uveomeningoencephalitic Syndrome / Q000276:immunology*; D000098815:T-bet Transcription Factor
D016207:Cytokines; D010835:Phytohemagglutinins; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D020825:T-Box Domain Proteins; D000098815:T-bet Transcription Factor; D014157:Transcription Factors