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Naïve CD4+ T cells from patients with atopic dermatitis show an aberrant maturation towards IL‐4‐producing skin‐homing CLA+ cells
Author(s) -
Jung T.,
Moessner R.,
Neumann C.
Publication year - 2003
Publication title -
experimental dermatology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.108
H-Index - 96
eISSN - 1600-0625
pISSN - 0906-6705
DOI - 10.1034/j.1600-0625.2003.00096.x
Subject(s) - atopic dermatitis , homing (biology) , immunology , interleukin 4 , biology , chemistry , medicine , cytokine , ecology
Overproduction of interleukin‐4 (IL‐4) has been reported in lesional and in peripheral T cells from patients with atopic dermatitis (AD). It is not clear whether the development of IL‐4‐producing T helper type 2 (Th2) cells from naïve precursors is an intrinsic phenomenon of T cells or whether other, extrinsic factors play a significant role. To analyze these alternatives, we investigated the IL‐4 production of effector T cells generated in vitro from highly purified CD4+ CD45RA+ naïve T cells in the absence of signals derived from antigen‐presenting cells. Effector T cells generated from naïve precursors from both AD and healthy donors produced comparable amounts of IL‐4 after restimulation. Priming in the presence of exogenous IL‐4 enhanced the production of IL‐4 while neutralizing endogenously produced IL‐4 abolished IL‐4 production similarly in atopic and healthy T cells. A subset of effector T cells acquired the expression of the cutaneous lymphocyte antigen (CLA). The frequency of CLA+ T cells was not different between atopic and healthy donors. CLA+ T cells, differentiated from naïve atopic, but not healthy T cells, showed a preferential Th2 cytokine profile as assessed by intracellular cytokine staining. Also effector T cells derived from atopic patients without dermatitis tended to show this imbalance, although it was not significantly different to healthy controls. This Th2 cytokine profile did not develop when naïve T cells were cultured in the presence of IL‐12. In conclusion, high IL‐4 production in developing T cells from AD patients was associated with CLA expression, the net IL‐4 production of all effector CD4+ T cells, however, was similar to IL‐4 production by T cells from healthy donors.