Severe chronic graft-versus-host disease is characterized by a preponderance of CD4(+) effector memory cells relative to central memory cells.

Abstract

Donor alloreactive CD4(+) T cells are important to the pathogenesis of chronic graft-versus-host disease (cGVHD), but specific subsets of CD4(+) T cells responsible for GVHD have not been defined. We hypothesized that cGVHD might be associated with a preponderance of CD4(+) effector memory cells (CCR7(-)/CD62L(low), CD4(EM)). We analyzed CCR7 and CD62L expression on CD4(+) T cells from stem cell transplantation patients, who did or did not develop cGVHD, and healthy donors. Patients with cGVHD had a higher percentage of CD4(EM) cells (35.5% +/- 2.9%) than healthy donors (13.8% +/- 0.7%; P <.0001) or patients without cGVHD that received a transplant (21.7% +/- 2.1%; P <.01). Using corticosteroid dose as a surrogate marker for cGVHD severity, severe cGVHD was associated with a higher percentage of CD4(EM) cells. The proportion of CD4(EM) cells in corticosteroid-dependent patients with systemic lupus erythematosis or Wegener granulomatosis did not differ from patients without cGVHD that received a transplant. This finding implies that overrepresentation of CD4(EM) cells is a unique feature of cGVHD.

• Authors: Kouhei Yamashita, Uimook Choi, Patricia C Woltz, Susan F Foster, Michael C Sneller, Francis T Hakim, Daniel H Fowler, Michael R Bishop, Steven Z Pavletic, Marisa Tamari, Kathleen Castro, A John Barrett, Richard W Childs, Gabor G Illei, Susan F Leitman, Harry L Malech, Mitchell E Horwitz
• Journal: Blood (Blood) Vol. 103 Issue 10 Pg. 3986-8 (May 15 2004) ISSN: 0006-4971 [Print] United States
• PMID: 14764530 (Publication Type: Journal Article, Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't)

Chemical References

• CCR7 protein, human
• Receptors, CCR7
• Receptors, Chemokine
• L-Selectin

Topics

• CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes (immunology)
• Case-Control Studies
• Chronic Disease
• Flow Cytometry
• Graft vs Host Disease (etiology, immunology)
• Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation (adverse effects)
• Humans
• Immunologic Memory
• Immunophenotyping
• L-Selectin (analysis)
• Receptors, CCR7
• Receptors, Chemokine (analysis)
• T-Lymphocyte Subsets (immunology)