Expression of gut homing markers on T cells was quantified using flow cytometry. Results Expression of GPR15 was significantly increased on CD4+ effector T cells (CD4+ CD127+ CD45RO+) in NAFLD, ALD and PSC patients compared to healthy controls (9.7 ± 0.4, 12.7 ± 0.9 and 20.1 ± 1.8 vs 4.1 ± 1.8, P<0.05), with a significant increase also observed on CD8+ effector T cells (CD8+ CD45RO+) in PSC patients when compared to healthy controls (16.7 ± 2.6 vs 2.3 ± 0.58, P<0.01). There were also trends towards increased expression of gut homing markers CCR9, a4b7 and aEb7 on effector CD4+ and CD8+ T cells in all chronic liver disease groups compared with healthy control tissue. Conclusions For some time, evidence pointed towards b7 integrins as the drivers of the hepatic inflammation seen in patients with AILD and associated inflammatory bowel disease as a result of aberrant effector T cells homing from the gut to the liver. These data reveal a somewhat redundant role for b7 integrins, which could be regarded as a non-disease specific feature of advanced disease, and highlight GPR15 as the primary mediator of effector gut T cell homing.
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