title: Correlation of Tc17 cells at early stages after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation with acute graft-versus-host disease.
abstract: Acute graft-versus-host disease (aGVHD) is associated with an immune dysregulation usually mediated by T lymphocytes. Recently, IL-17-producing T cells including Th17 and Tc17 cells have been implicated in immune-related diseases. However, their roles in aGVHD remain uncertain. In the study, we analyzed IL-17-producing cell recovery and association with the occurrence of aGVHD. While Th17 cells steadily recovered, Tc17 cell numbers remained unaltered during the first 3months after transplantation. Occurrence of aGVHD was correlated with increased level of Tc17 cells at the second months after allo-SCT. Interestingly, Tc17 cells were negatively associated with CD4+CD25+FOXP3+regulatory T (Treg) cells, which was an important prognostic predictor in patients with aGVHD. In addition, we found that Tc17 numbers increased as the increased concentrations of TGF-β and IL-6, which are known to drive Th17 polarization. These finding supported that Tc17 subset is involved in the immunopathology of aGVHD. Blocking the abnormally increased number of Tc17 may be a reasonable therapeutic strategy for aGVHD.
authors.affiliation: Department of Hematology, Qingdao Central Hospital, the Second Affiliated Hospital, Qingdao University Medical College, Qingdao 266042, China.
authors.forename: Ling
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Biotherapy Center, Qingdao Central Hospital, the Second Affiliated Hospital, Qingdao University Medical College, Qingdao 266042, China.
authors.forename: Peng
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Zhao
authors.affiliation: Department of Hematology, Qingdao Central Hospital, the Second Affiliated Hospital, Qingdao University Medical College, Qingdao 266042, China.
authors.forename: Lingling
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Song
authors.affiliation: Department of Hematology, Weifang People's Hospital, Weifang 261041, China.
authors.forename: Fahong
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Yan
authors.affiliation: Department of Hematology, Qingdao Central Hospital, the Second Affiliated Hospital, Qingdao University Medical College, Qingdao 266042, China.
authors.forename: Chunlei
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Shi
authors.affiliation: Department of Hematology, Qingdao Central Hospital, the Second Affiliated Hospital, Qingdao University Medical College, Qingdao 266042, China.
authors.forename: Ying
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Institute of Hematology, Blood Diseases Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Peking Union Medical College, 288 Nanjing Road, Tianjin 300060, China. Electronic address: mzhan@medmail.com.cn.
authors.forename: Mingzhe
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Han
authors.affiliation: Department of Hematology, Qingdao Central Hospital, the Second Affiliated Hospital, Qingdao University Medical College, Qingdao 266042, China. Electronic address: lanketao@126.com.
authors.forename: Ketao
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Lan
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D016207:Cytokines / Q000276:immunology; D005260:Female; D006086:Graft vs Host Disease / Q000276:immunology*; D018380:Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D016176:T-Lymphocyte Subsets / Q000276:immunology*
chemical_list: D016207:Cytokines
keywords: Acute graft versus host disease; Allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation; Tc17 cells; Th17 cells