title: Persistent CMV infection correlates with disease activity and dominates the phenotype of peripheral CD8+ T cells in psoriasis.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Previously, we have reported a frequent association of active plaque psoriasis with inflammation-mediated cytomegalovirus (CMV) reactivation.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  This study aimed at characterizing the impact of CMV infection on psoriasis disease activity and peripheral cellular adaptive immune response.
  
  
  METHODS
  Twenty nine patients with active plaque psoriasis and 29 healthy controls were analysed for CMV-serostatus, CMV-antigenaemia, frequencies of peripheral CMV-specific T cells and the immunophenotype of peripheral CD8+ T cells.
  
  
  RESULTS
  (i) Psoriasis severity was higher in CMV-seropositive patients and positively correlated to the severity of CMV-antigenaemia. (ii) In comparison to CMV-seropositive healthy controls, CMV-seropositive psoriasis patients showed a reduced frequency of circulating CMV-specific T cells that increased under effective antipsoriatic therapy. (iii) The immunophenotype of peripheral CD8+ T cells was dominated by CMV-seroprevalence. (iv) Selective analysis of CMV-seronegative psoriasis patients revealed a strong expansion of a - probably early activated - CD8+ T-cell population with the yet undescribed differentiation phenotype 'CD45RA-dim/CD11a-dim'. Under effective antipsoriatic therapy this population decreased in parallel to an increase of effector differentiated CD8+ T cells.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Taken together with our previous results of inflammation-mediated CMV reactivation in psoriasis, our data support the concept of an interactive relationship between psoriasis and CMV infection which may be mediated by peripheral CD8+ T cells.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Medical Immunology, University Hospital Charité, Berlin Humboldt University, Berlin, Germany.
authors.forename: Mario
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Weitz
authors.forename: Corinna
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Kiessling
authors.forename: Markus
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Friedrich
authors.forename: Susanna
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Prösch
authors.forename: Conny
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Höflich
authors.forename: Florian
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Kern
authors.forename: Hans-Dieter
authors.initials: HD
authors.lastname: Volk
authors.forename: Wolfram
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Sterry
authors.forename: Khusru
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Asadullah
authors.forename: Wolf-Dietrich
authors.initials: WD
authors.lastname: Döcke
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D015703:Antigens, CD / Q000378:metabolism; D000945:Antigens, Differentiation, T-Lymphocyte / Q000378:metabolism; D000956:Antigens, Viral / Q000378:metabolism; D040881:CD11a Antigen / Q000378:metabolism; D018106:CD28 Antigens / Q000378:metabolism; D018959:CD57 Antigens / Q000378:metabolism; D018414:CD8-Positive T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D060908:CTLA-4 Antigen / Q000378:metabolism; D003586:Cytomegalovirus Infections / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000276:immunology*; D005260:Female; D006684:HLA-DR Antigens / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D007074:Immunoglobulin G / Q000097:blood / Q000276:immunology; D016130:Immunophenotyping; D053645:Interleukin-2 Receptor alpha Subunit / Q000378:metabolism; D019041:L-Selectin / Q000378:metabolism; D017493:Leukocyte Common Antigens / Q000378:metabolism; D007963:Leukocytes, Mononuclear / Q000378:metabolism / Q000821:virology; D018655:Lymphocyte Count; D008297:Male; D008562:Membrane Glycoproteins / Q000378:metabolism; D008875:Middle Aged; D011565:Psoriasis / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000276:immunology* / Q000628:therapy / Q000821:virology; D011990:Receptors, Transferrin / Q000378:metabolism; D016036:Seroepidemiologic Studies; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D016176:T-Lymphocyte Subsets / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D018127:Tumor Necrosis Factor Receptor Superfamily, Member 7 / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D015703:Antigens, CD; D000945:Antigens, Differentiation, T-Lymphocyte; D000956:Antigens, Viral; D040881:CD11a Antigen; D018106:CD28 Antigens; D018959:CD57 Antigens; C068126:CD71 antigen; C063419:CTAGE1 protein, human; D060908:CTLA-4 Antigen; C556706:CTLA4 protein, human; D006684:HLA-DR Antigens; C508017:IL2RA protein, human; D007074:Immunoglobulin G; D053645:Interleukin-2 Receptor alpha Subunit; D008562:Membrane Glycoproteins; D011990:Receptors, Transferrin; D018127:Tumor Necrosis Factor Receptor Superfamily, Member 7; D019041:L-Selectin; D017493:Leukocyte Common Antigens