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Membrane expression of NK receptors CD160 and CD158k contributes to delineate a unique CD4 + T‐lymphocyte subset in normal and mycosis fungoides skin
Author(s) -
Sako Nouhoum,
Schiavon Valérie,
Bounfour Touda,
Dessirier Valérie,
Ortonne Nicolas,
Olive Daniel,
RamWolff Caroline,
Michel Laurence,
Sicard Hélène,
MarieCardine Anne,
Bagot Martine,
Bensussan Armand,
Schmitt Christian
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
cytometry part a
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.316
H-Index - 90
eISSN - 1552-4930
pISSN - 1552-4922
DOI - 10.1002/cyto.a.22512
Subject(s) - mycosis fungoides , cd8 , cytotoxic t cell , immunology , biology , cutaneous t cell lymphoma , t cell , interleukin 21 , perforin , cd3 , immune system , lymphoma , biochemistry , in vitro
CD160 is a GPI‐anchored Ig‐like receptor identified by the BY55 mAb on human circulating CD56 dim+ NK cells and TCRγδ lymphocytes. In addition, while most intestinal T lymphocytes express it, only a minor circulating CD4 + or CD8 + T lymphocyte subset is CD160 + . Here we describe a population of CD4 + CD160 + human blood T lymphocytes of circulating cutaneous T cells. These rare T lymphocytes represent 2.1 ± 1.9% of the circulating CD3 + CD4 + T cells, coexpress CD8αα, CD244, and perforin but lack CD28 expression, a phenotype corresponding to effector memory cytotoxic T‐lymphocytes. Functional studies further confirmed their cytotoxic potential. These cells lack αEβ7 integrin and CCR7 expression but do express skin‐addressing molecules CLA, and CCR4. In normal human skin, CD4 + CD160 + cells represent 34.6 ± 14.7% of the CD4 + T lymphocytes extracted by collagenase treatment. These T cells coexpress CLA (81 ± 13.6%), CCR4 (62.3 ± 15.9%), and some CD8αα (19.6 ± 13%) or CCR7 (24.4 ± 11.7%) expression. Cutaneous T‐cell lymphoma cells express the natural killer receptor KIR3DL2 (CD158k) used as a tumor marker. Not only we confirmed the expression of this marker in the blood and/or skin of mycosis fungoides patients but we also show for the first time CD158k expression (often associated with CD160) on cutaneous CD4 + T cells from healthy individuals (25.3 ± 15%). Therefore, CD4 + CD160 + T cells expressing CD158k might represent specialized cutaneous lymphocytes devoted to immune surveillance, from which could originate cutaneous T‐cell lymphomas such as mycosis fungoides. © 2014 International Society for Advancement of Cytometry