T cell receptor excision circle levels in CD94-expressing CD8 T Cells during graft-versus-host disease.
T cell receptor excision circles (TRECs) have been suggested to be useful markers of recent thymic output and graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) was thought to have an adverse effect on thymic output. On the other hand, TREC concentrations are diluted with T cell expansion. The C-type lectin superfamily inhibitory receptor CD94 expression on T cells might be a consequence of CD8 T cell expansion. Therefore, this study was designed to analyse TREC DNA level in CD4 and CD8 T cell subset expressing CD94 during GVHD. We investigated TREC DNA copy numbers (TREC levels) of CD4+, CD94+/CD8+ and CD94-/CD8+ T cells in 24 patients who had undergone allogeneic stem cell transplantation and also of in vitro activated and expanded CD94-expressing cells by immobilised anti-CD3 mAb and IL-15. TREC level of CD94+/CD8+ T cells in patients with chronic GVHD was lower than that in patients with no GVHD and with remission status of GVHD. In vitro activated and expanded CD94-expressing cells had a significantly lower TREC level than that in untreated CD8 cells. Therefore, the low TREC level of CD94+/CD8+ T cells is related to chronic GVHD and may reflect T cell expansion during chronic GVHD.
Sugita
Junichi
J
Department of Hematology and Oncology, Hokkaido University Graduate School of Medicine, Sapporo, Japan.
Iwao
Noriaki
N
Tanaka
Junji
J
Kato
Naoko
N
Shiratori
Souichi
S
Wakasa
Kentarou
K
Shigematsu
Akio
A
Toubai
Tomomi
T
Takahata
Mutsumi
M
Kondo
Takeshi
T
Asaka
Masahiro
M
Imamura
Masahiro
M
D015496:CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes; D018414:CD8-Positive T-Lymphocytes; D049109:Cell Proliferation; D005260:Female; D015329:Gene Rearrangement, T-Lymphocyte; D006086:Graft vs Host Disease / Q000276:immunology*; D019337:Hematologic Neoplasms / Q000150:complications / Q000628:therapy; D018380:Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation / Q000009:adverse effects; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D051920:NK Cell Lectin-Like Receptor Subfamily D
D051920:NK Cell Lectin-Like Receptor Subfamily D