T Cells in the Myenteric Plexus of Achalasia Patients Show a Skewed TCR Repertoire and React to HSV-1 Antigens

Facco, Monica; Brun, Paola; Baesso, Ilenia; Costantini, Mario; Rizzetto, Christian; Berto, Alessandro; Baldan, N; Palù, Giorgio; Semenzato, Gianpietro; Castagliuolo, Ignazio; Zaninotto, Giovanni

doi:10.1111/j.1572-0241.2008.01956.x

Cited by 124 publications

(123 citation statements)

References 56 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

109

Contrasting

Unclassified

Order By: Relevance

“…The findings of the current study appear to differ from that conducted by Facco et al where they found no difference in the proliferation index of PBMCs of patients with primary achalasia compared to control subjects [7]. One possible explanation is that the control population in that study composed of heartbeating cadaveric organ donors who may have been given medications that have altered T-lymphocytic function.…”

Section: Discussioncontrasting

confidence: 99%

“…In primary achalasia, an inflammatory T-lymphocytic infiltrate reactive to HSV-1 antigens is present in the myenteric plexus [7]. By real-time PCR, we demonstrated the existence of a heightened systemic immune response to HSV-1 antigens in patients with the condition.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 77%

“…Facco et al have demonstrated that existence of oligoclonal T-lymphocyte subsets, based on Tlymphocyte receptor characterization, in the myenteric plexus of patients that are reactive to HSV-1 antigens [7]. The current study aims to determine if there is also a systemically heightened immune response to HSV-1 antigens in patients with primary achalasia.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 88%

“…Mononuclear immune cells reactive to Herpes Simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) antigens have been identified in the oesophageal myenteric plexus of achalasia patients, suggesting that the virus has triggered an immune response at the site [6,7].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 3 more Smart Citations

Enhanced reactivity of peripheral blood immune cells to HSV-1 in primary achalasia

Lau

McCaughey

Coyle

et al. 2010

Scandinavian Journal of Gastroenterology

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Objective. Achalasia is the best characterized oesophageal motor disorder but the etiology is unknown. The pathology is characterized by a decrease in nitric oxide-producing neurons and the presence of an activated T-cell inflammatory infiltrate in the myenteric plexus that are reactive to HSV-1 viral antigens. These findings are not present in normal controls. The current study compared the reactivity of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) between patients with primary achalasia and normal controls to determine if PBMCs of patients exhibit a similar heightened reactivity to the virus. Material and methods. Whole blood culture experiments were conducted with heparinized peripheral venous blood obtained from 151 patients with primary achalasia and 118 healthy controls. Whole blood was cultured in the presence of ultraviolet inactivated HSV-1 or conditioned cell culture media. Reactivity of mononuclear cells to viral antigens was quantified by measuring expression of the cytokine gene interferon-g using Taqman Ò real-time polymerase chain reaction. Data are expressed as cytokine fold change corresponding to ratio of interferon-g messenger RNA copies produced in antigen stimulated versus unstimulated cells. Results. The interferon-g fold change was higher in cases 61.33 (20.54-217.00) than controls 49.67 (10.05-157.05). Mean fold change difference between cases and controls was 1.66 times (95% confidence interval 1.17-2.34, p = 0.004). Conclusions. These results indicate that the PBMCs of patients with primary achalasia show an enhanced immune response to HSV-1 antigens. The data suggest that there is persistent stimulation of immune cells by herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) or HSV-1 like antigen moieties.

show abstract

Section: Discussioncontrasting

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 77%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 88%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Enhanced reactivity of peripheral blood immune cells to HSV-1 in primary achalasia

Lau

McCaughey

Coyle

et al. 2010

Scandinavian Journal of Gastroenterology

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Other related symptoms are regurgitation and chest pain. Although the exact causes of achalasia are still not known [there are some suggestions to a possible autoimmune pathogenesis activated by herpes simplex viruses (1)], the medical community has long been aware of how to alleviate the related dysphagia even before fully understanding the pathophysiology of the disease.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%