title: Vδ2 T cell deficiency in granulomatosis with polyangiitis (Wegener's granulomatosis).
abstract: Previous studies have characterized phenotypic and functional alterations within T-cell receptor αβ-expressing T cells in patients with granulomatosis with polyangiitis (GPA). We analyzed the frequency, subset composition and in vitro activation of blood γδ T cells in GPA patients. We observed a significant reduction of γδ T cell numbers, due to the selective depletion of the Vδ2 subset which remained consistent over time upon repeated analysis. The loss of Vδ2 T cells was not due to migration into the inflamed lesions as very few γδ T cells were detected in inflammatory infiltrates. The memory subset distribution did not differ among Vδ2 T cells from healthy donors and GPA patients. Importantly, the remaining Vδ2 T cells were capable of responding to phosphoantigen stimulation in vitro. The marked depletion of blood Vδ2 T cells in GPA suggests cellular exhaustion, possibly due to chronic exposure to and continuous overstimulation by microbial phosphoantigens.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Immunology, University of Kiel, Kiel, Germany.
authors.forename: Juliane
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Fazio
authors.forename: Elgar Susanne
authors.initials: ES
authors.lastname: Quabius
authors.forename: Antje
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Müller
authors.forename: Sabine
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Adam-Klages
authors.forename: Daniela
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Wesch
authors.forename: Susanne
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Sebens
authors.forename: Shirin
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kalyan
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Lamprecht
authors.forename: Dieter
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Kabelitz
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D014890:Granulomatosis with Polyangiitis / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016692:Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell, gamma-delta / Q000172:deficiency*; D016176:T-Lymphocyte Subsets / Q000276:immunology*; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology*; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D016692:Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell, gamma-delta
keywords: Granulomatosis with polyangiitis; Phosphoantigen; Vδ2 T cells; γδ T cells