Selective expansion of T cell receptor (TCR) V beta 6 in tonsillar and peripheral blood T cells and its induction by in vitro stimulation with Haemophilus parainfluenzae in patients with IgA nephropathy.
IgA nephropathy (IgAN), the most common form of primary glomerulonephritis, is recognized as a disease that often becomes worse during acute tonsillitis. Although many reports have shown that tonsillectomy is an effective treatment for IgAN patients, the immunological evidence has not yet been investigated fully. In this study, we compared the expression of T cell receptor (TCR) V beta families in tonsillar T cells of IgAN patients to those of non-IgAN patients. The reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and flow cytometric analyses showed that the TCR V beta 6 was used more frequently in tonsillar T cells of IgAN patients than in those of non-IgAN patients (P < 0.01 each). Similarly, the proportions of TCR V beta 6-positive cells in peripheral blood T cells were significantly higher in IgAN patients than in non-IgAN patients (P < 0.05). After tonsillectomy, the proportions decreased in IgAN patients (P < 0.05), but did not in non-IgAN patients. Furthermore, in vitro stimulation with Haemophilus parainfluenzae antigen, which is reported to deposit in the glomerular mesangium of IgAN, enhanced expression of TCR V beta 6 in tonsillar T cells from both IgAN and non-IgAN patients. These results suggest that TCR V beta 6-positive tonsillar T cells might be activated by H. parainfluenzae, move into the kidney through blood circulation and induce glomerulonephritis.
Nozawa
H
H
Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Asahikawa Medical College, Asahikawa, Japan.
Takahara
M
M
Yoshizaki
T
T
Goto
T
T
Bandoh
N
N
Harabuchi
Y
Y
D000328:Adult; D000942:Antigens, Bacterial / Q000494:pharmacology; D001483:Base Sequence; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D017931:DNA Primers / Q000235:genetics; D005260:Female; D005434:Flow Cytometry; D015333:Gene Rearrangement, beta-Chain T-Cell Antigen Receptor; D005922:Glomerulonephritis, IGA / Q000276:immunology* / Q000382:microbiology / Q000601:surgery; D006192:Haemophilus Infections / Q000276:immunology; D044135:Haemophilus parainfluenzae / Q000276:immunology; D006801:Humans; D007678:Kidney Glomerulus / Q000276:immunology; D008213:Lymphocyte Activation; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D014066:Palatine Tonsil / Q000276:immunology; D016693:Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell, alpha-beta / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology*; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology*; D014069:Tonsillitis / Q000276:immunology* / Q000382:microbiology / Q000601:surgery; D016896:Treatment Outcome
D000942:Antigens, Bacterial; D017931:DNA Primers; D016693:Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell, alpha-beta; C526617:T cell receptor Vbeta6, human