| Title | Low number of regulatory T cells in skin lesions of patients with cutaneous lupus erythematosus. | | Author(s) | Franz B, Fritzsching B, Riehl A, Oberle N, Klemke CD, Sykora J, Quick S, Stumpf C, Hartmann M, Enk A, Ruzicka T, Krammer PH, Suri-Payer E, Kuhn A | | Institution | German Cancer Research Center, Heidelberg, Germany. | | Source | Arthritis Rheum 2007 Jun; 56(6):1910-20. | | Abstract | OBJECTIVE: To define the phenotype and function of CD4+,CD25+ regulatory T cells (Treg) in patients with cutaneous lupus erythematosus (CLE), a heterogeneous autoimmune disease characterized primarily by inflammatory skin lesions.
METHODS: The number of Treg in skin specimens obtained from patients with various subtypes of CLE was investigated by immunohistochemical analysis, using anti-Foxp3 and anti-CD4 monoclonal antibodies. Furthermore, characterization of peripheral blood CD4+,CD25+ Treg from normal healthy donors and patients with CLE was carried out by flow cytometry, analyzing the expression of Foxp3 and Treg subpopulations. We also purified CD4+,CD25(high) Treg obtained from patients with CLE and tested the sensitivity of these cells to CD95L-mediated apoptosis.
RESULTS: Quantitative analysis of CD4+ T cells in skin lesions from patients with CLE revealed that the number was similar to that in lesions from patients with other chronic inflammatory diseases, but the number of Foxp3+ Treg in CLE was significantly reduced. There was no correlation between disease subtype and the frequency of Foxp3+ Treg in the skin of patients with CLE. In peripheral blood, no significant differences were observed in the number and phenotype of CD4+,CD25+ Treg or in the sensitivity to apoptosis of CD4+,CD25(high) Treg derived from patients with CLE and those derived from normal healthy donors.
CONCLUSION: These data suggest that an organ-specific abnormality of Treg in the skin underscores the importance of analyzing Treg in the affected tissue. Such a local process might give insight into the pathogenic mechanisms of CLE and differs from a global peripheral dysfunction as reported for patients with a systemic manifestation of the disease. | | Language | eng | | Pub Type(s) | Journal Article
| | PubMed ID | 17530636 |
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