Gammadelta (γδ) T lymphocytes do not impact the development of early atherosclerosis.
OBJECTIVE
Gammadelta (γδ) T cells are a subset of pro-inflammatory innate-like T lymphocytes that serve as a bridge between innate and adaptive immunity. γδ T cells are highly enriched in cholesterol compared to αβ T cells. In this study, we aimed to identify the role of γδ T cells in atherosclerosis, a cholesterol and inflammation-driven disease.


METHODS
We found that the percentages of γδ T cells are increased in ApoE(-/-) mice fed a Western diet. We generated TCRδ(-/-)ApoE(-/-) mice and fed them either rodent chow or a Western diet for ten weeks for the assessment of atherosclerosis.


RESULTS
The atherosclerotic lesion size in diet-fed TCRδ(-/-)ApoE(-/-) mice was similar to that of diet-fed ApoE(-/-) mice. There were no differences in cytokine production or numbers of αβ T cells in aorta of TCRδ(-/-)ApoE(-/-) mice. Plasma lipoprotein profiles were unchanged by the absence of γδ T cells.


CONCLUSIONS
Our data suggest that γδ T cells do not contribute to early atherosclerotic plaque development.
Division of Inflammation Biology, La Jolla Institute for Allergy & Immunology, 9420 Athena Circle, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA. Electronic address: hycheng@liai.org.
Hsin-Yuan
HY
Cheng
Division of Inflammation Biology, La Jolla Institute for Allergy & Immunology, 9420 Athena Circle, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA. Electronic address: awu@liai.org.
Runpei
R
Wu
Division of Inflammation Biology, La Jolla Institute for Allergy & Immunology, 9420 Athena Circle, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA. Electronic address: hedrick@liai.org.
Catherine C
CC
Hedrick
D000818:Animals; D001011:Aorta / Q000276:immunology* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D001018:Aortic Diseases / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D001057:Apolipoproteins E / Q000172:deficiency / Q000235:genetics; D050197:Atherosclerosis / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D016207:Cytokines / Q000097:blood; D066273:Diet, Western; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D018450:Disease Progression; D008055:Lipids / Q000097:blood; D008297:Male; D018345:Mice, Knockout; D058226:Plaque, Atherosclerotic; D016692:Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell, gamma-delta / Q000172:deficiency / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D012307:Risk Factors; D016176:T-Lymphocyte Subsets / Q000276:immunology* / Q000378:metabolism; D013997:Time Factors
D001057:Apolipoproteins E; D016207:Cytokines; D008055:Lipids; D016692:Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell, gamma-delta
Atherosclerosis; Cholesterol; Gammadelta