title: Cytokine gene expression in intestinal tuberculosis and Crohn's disease.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Intestinal tuberculosis (TB) and Crohn's disease closely resemble each other clinically and morphologically. Little is known of cytokine regulation in intestinal TB.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To compare cytokine gene expression in colonic mucosa and peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) in TB with that in Crohn's disease.
  
  
  METHODS
  Biopsies were obtained from normal and ulcerated colonic mucosa of 12 intestinal TB and 11 Crohn's disease patients, and PBMC from 15 intestinal TB and 12 Crohn's disease patients and 11 healthy volunteers. RNA was extracted, and the expression of selected cytokines, chemokines and pattern recognition receptors quantified by reverse transcriptase real-time polymerase chain reaction using SYBR green.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The mRNA expression of interleukin-8 (IL-8), induced protein-10, tumour necrosis factor-alpha, IL-23 p19 and IL-12 p40, and Toll-like receptors (TLR) 1 and 2 in the ulcerated mucosa was increased in both intestinal TB and Crohn's disease. Expression of growth-related oncogene-alpha was increased in intestinal TB, while expression of interferon-gamma (IFN-) and TLR 4, 5 and 9 was increased in Crohn's disease. Expression of RANTES (regulated upon activation, normal T-cell expressed and secreted) was decreased in Crohn's disease. Secretion of IFN- or IL-10 from PBMC was not significantly altered in either disease. PBMC mRNA expression of IL-1, IL-6 and IL-8 mRNA was upregulated in Crohn's disease, while that of IL-17 was upregulated in intestinal TB.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Cytokine gene expression patterns in intestinal mucosa and PBMC of intestinal TB were remarkably similar to Crohn's disease, and demonstrated innate immune activation and T-helper 1 polarisation.
authors.affiliation: Department of Gastrointestinal Sciences, Christian Medical College, Vellore, India.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Pugazhendhi
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Jayakanthan
authors.forename: A B
authors.initials: AB
authors.lastname: Pulimood
authors.forename: B S
authors.initials: BS
authors.lastname: Ramakrishna
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001706:Biopsy; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D003106:Colon / Q000276:immunology* / Q000382:microbiology; D003108:Colonic Diseases / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology* / Q000382:microbiology; D003113:Colonoscopy; D003424:Crohn Disease / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology*; D016207:Cytokines / Q000097:blood / Q000235:genetics*; D005260:Female; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation; D006801:Humans; D007113:Immunity, Innate / Q000235:genetics; D007413:Intestinal Mucosa / Q000276:immunology* / Q000382:microbiology; D007963:Leukocytes, Mononuclear / Q000276:immunology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009169:Mycobacterium tuberculosis / Q000302:isolation & purification; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000032:analysis / Q000097:blood; D060888:Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D018417:Th1 Cells / Q000276:immunology; D014385:Tuberculosis, Gastrointestinal / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology* / Q000382:microbiology; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D016207:Cytokines; D012333:RNA, Messenger