title: IL-17 mRNA expression and cytomegalovirus infection in liver transplant patients.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Cytomegalovirus (CMV) establishes a lifelong, asymptomatic infection in immunocompetent hosts. Interleukin-17 producing CD4+ T-cells (Th-17) are a subtype of CD4+ T-cells. The precise role of Th-17 responses during cytomegalovirus replication has not been elucidated, although recent studies suggest that infections such as murine cytomegalovirus induce a Th-17 response. Th-17 cells also have been associated with allograft rejection and autoimmune diseases. In this study, we tried to find the relation of cytomegalovirus infection and interleukin 17 (IL-17) cytokine in liver-transplanted patients.
  
  
  METHODS
  Two groups of patients were evaluated in this study. The first group consisted of 54 cytomegalovirus uninfected livertransplanted patients, and the second group consisted of 15 cytomegalovirus-infected patients. Three ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid-treated blood samples were collected from each patient on days 1, 4 and 7 post liver transplant. For diagnosing cytomegalovirus infection antigenemia and Taq-Man real-time polymerase chain reaction protocols were used. Also, to determine the expression level of IL-17 gene, an in-house SYBR green real-time polymerase chain reaction technique was used.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Using antigenemia and also Taq-Man real-time polymerase chain reaction helps find active cytomegalovirus infection, and the load of cytomegalovirus in each patient. The first group of patients showed that IL-17 expression level was down-regulated after day 4 of sampling. But in cytomegalovirus-infected patients, IL-17 expression level was increased significantly. The results between IL-17 gene expression level between the 2 groups of patients showed that IL-17 expression level significantly increased in second group during day 4 (P = .038) and 7 (P = .009) postliver transplant.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Significant increase of IL-17 mRNA levels in cytomegalovirus-infected group compared with the uninfected one reinforced the role of IL-17 as a proinflammatory cytokine dealing with cytomegalovirus infection in liver transplanted patients.
authors.affiliation: From the Department of Molecular Genetics, Science and Research, Islamic Azad University, Fars, Iran.
authors.forename: Afsoon
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Afshari
authors.forename: Ramin
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Yaghobi
authors.forename: Mohammad Hossein
authors.initials: MH
authors.lastname: Karimi
authors.forename: Mojtaba
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Darbouy
authors.forename: Negar
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Azarpira
authors.forename: Bita
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Geramizadeh
authors.forename: Seyed Ali
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Malek-Hosseini
authors.forename: Saman
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Nikeghbalian
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003587:Cytomegalovirus / Q000276:immunology; D003586:Cytomegalovirus Infections / Q000097:blood / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000235:genetics* / Q000276:immunology / Q000821:virology; D005260:Female; D054884:Host-Pathogen Interactions; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D018836:Inflammation Mediators / Q000276:immunology; D020381:Interleukin-17 / Q000235:genetics* / Q000276:immunology; D016031:Liver Transplantation / Q000009:adverse effects*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000097:blood / Q000235:genetics*; D060888:Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction; D058504:Th17 Cells / Q000276:immunology / Q000821:virology; D013997:Time Factors; D015854:Up-Regulation; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D018836:Inflammation Mediators; D020381:Interleukin-17; D012333:RNA, Messenger