Lymphocytes Tγδ in clinically normal skin and peripheral blood of patients with systemic lupus erythematosus and their correlation with disease activity

Abstract

Human Tgammadelta lymphocytes constitute from 1 to 15% of all peripheral blood lymphocytes. Recent work has demonstrated that this population plays a major role in the pathogenesis of infectious and immune diseases. Increased numbers of gammadelta T cells have been found in affected skin from systemic sclerosis and chronic cutaneous lupus erythematosus patients. In our study, we have determined the numbers of Tgammadelta lymphocytes and their subpopulations in peripheral blood from 29 patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and in 19 healthy volunteers using flow cytometry and specific monoclonal antibodies. The same cells in uninvolved skin from SLE patients and human controls using immunohistochemical analysis were estimated. T-Cell receptor (TCR) delta chain gene rearrangement was identified with primers for Vdelta1, Vdelta2 and Vdelta3 by the polymerase chain reaction. Statistical analysis showed a significantly decreased number of gammadelta T cells in SLE patients (26.4+/-16.9/microl) compared with the control group (55.3+/-20.6/microl (p < 0.001). The number of Vdelta2 TCR+ and Vgamma9 TCR+ subpopulations was also lower in SLE patients than in healthy persons. No statistical correlation between disease activity and the number of gammadelta T cells was demonstrated. The percentage of Tgammadelta lymphocytes in clinically normal skin from SLE patients was twice (22.0+/-9.4%) that found in the skin from healthy persons (11.1+/-5.5%) (p < 0.002). Higher percentages of the Vdelta2 TCR+ and Vgamma9 TCR+ subpopulation of lymphocytes were found in the skin from SLE patients. We have also found positive correlation between the percentage of Tgammadelta lymphocytes in skin and the activity of SLE (r=0.594, p < 0.001), and between subpopulation Vdelta3 TCR+ and disease activity (r=0.659, p< 0.001). In conclusion, the results of our studies demonstrate that, in patients with SLE, accumulation of Tgammadelta lymphocytes can be seen in clinically normal skin, and the percentage of these cells correlates with the activity of the disease.

Identification of a Novel Proinflammatory Human Skin-Homing Vγ9Vδ2 T Cell Subset with a Potential Role in Psoriasis

“…We had absolute cell numbers for 44 out of 66 psoriasis patients. Mean absolute Vγ9Vδ2 T cell numbers in one μl peripheral psoriatic blood was substantially lower (mean 29 (± 4.7)/μl) compared to what has been published for healthy controls (49 cells/μl (22) and 68.6 cells/μl (23) (Supplementary Figure 1G) further supporting a reduction of circulating Vγ9Vδ2 T cells in psoriasis.…”

Gamma Delta T Cells Regulate Wound Myeloid CELL Activity After Burn

“…Nonetheless, it is clear from different clinical studies that, γδ T-cells, in human skin, play an important role in dermal pathologies, such as systemic lupus erythemoatosis (SLE), leprosy, leishmaniasis, malignancies (39, 40). Thus, while the absolute numbers of γδ T-cells in human skin may be less than that observed in rodents; they are an active cell population in humans, and their role in human dermal pathology is clearly evident.…”

Changes in immune cell frequencies after cyclophosphamide or mycophenolate mofetil treatments in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus

“…It is believed that the interaction between excessive and uncontrolled B and T cells ultimately leads to the onset of SLE. Infiltrates of activated T cells have also been found in the tissues from SLE-affected organs, such as the kidneys and skin, although their direct role in tissue injury remains unclear [12,13].…”