title: Increased interleukin-27 promotes Th1 differentiation in patients with chronic immune thrombocytopenia.
abstract: Chronic immune thrombocytopenia (cITP) is an autoimmune disease with disturbed cytokine profile. Although plasma levels of IL-27 are shown to be associated with cITP, its association with T cell subsets has not been studied. The objective of this study was to study the association between IL-27 and different T cell subsets in patients with cITP. Heparinized blood was collected from 31 patients with cITP and 36 healthy controls (platelet count <100 × 10(9)/l and 103-280 × 10(9)/l, respectively). The percentage of Th1, Th2 and Th17 cells in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) were enumerated by flow cytometry, and the mRNA levels of IL-27, T-bet, GATA-3 and retinoid-related orphan receptor gamma (RORγt) by real-time reverse transcriptase polymerase chain (RT-PCR). Plasma cytokine levels of IL-27, interferon-gamma (IFN-γ), IL-4 and IL-17A were estimated by flow cytometrix. The effect of exogenous recombinant IL-27(rhIL-27) on the differentiation of T cells into Th1, Th2 and Th17 cells was investigated by cell culture. The percentage of Th1 and Th17 cells and the plasma concentration and mRNA levels of IL-27 were significantly higher in cITP patients compared with healthy controls. Plasma levels of IL-27 correlated positively with percentage of Th1 cells in patients with cITP. Exogenous (rhIL-27) could significantly up-regulate the percentage of Th1 cells and down-regulate Th2 cells in vitro. Th17 cells were reduced in the presence of (rhIL-27) in controls but had no effect in patients with cITP. The up-regulation of IL-27 might cause Th1 differentiation and might be involved in the pathophysiology of cITP.
authors.affiliation: Department of Hematology, The first affiliated hospital, Anhui Medical University, Hefei, Anhui Province, China.
authors.forename: Q
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Xia
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Xia
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Liu
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D018791:CD4 Lymphocyte Count; D002454:Cell Differentiation / Q000276:immunology; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D005260:Female; D050990:GATA3 Transcription Factor / Q000097:blood; D006801:Humans; D007371:Interferon-gamma / Q000097:blood; D020381:Interleukin-17 / Q000097:blood; D064094:Interleukin-27 / Q000097:blood* / Q000235:genetics / Q000494:pharmacology; D015847:Interleukin-4 / Q000097:blood; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D057132:Nuclear Receptor Subfamily 1, Group F, Member 3 / Q000097:blood; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000097:blood; D011994:Recombinant Proteins / Q000494:pharmacology; D020825:T-Box Domain Proteins / Q000097:blood; D016176:T-Lymphocyte Subsets / Q000276:immunology; D018417:Th1 Cells / Q000276:immunology*; D058504:Th17 Cells / Q000276:immunology*; D018418:Th2 Cells / Q000276:immunology*; D013921:Thrombocytopenia / Q000097:blood / Q000276:immunology*; D015854:Up-Regulation; D055815:Young Adult; D000098815:T-bet Transcription Factor
chemical_list: D050990:GATA3 Transcription Factor; C494749:GATA3 protein, human; C508717:IL17A protein, human; C508598:IL4 protein, human; D020381:Interleukin-17; D064094:Interleukin-27; D057132:Nuclear Receptor Subfamily 1, Group F, Member 3; D012333:RNA, Messenger; C539900:RORC protein, human; D011994:Recombinant Proteins; D020825:T-Box Domain Proteins; D000098815:T-bet Transcription Factor; D015847:Interleukin-4; D007371:Interferon-gamma