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Venom immunotherapy modulates interleukin‐4 and interferon‐γ messenger RNA expression of peripheral T lymphocytes
Author(s) -
AKOUM H.,
TSICOPOULOS A.,
VORNG H.,
WALLAERT B.,
DESSAINT J. P.,
JOSEPH M.,
HAMID Q.,
TONNEL A. B.
Publication year - 1996
Publication title -
immunology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.297
H-Index - 133
eISSN - 1365-2567
pISSN - 0019-2805
DOI - 10.1046/j.1365-2567.1996.506585.x
Subject(s) - immunotherapy , cytokine , desensitization (medicine) , immunology , interleukin 4 , interferon gamma , biology , messenger rna , t cell , allergen , allergy , medicine , immune system , receptor , gene , biochemistry
The mechanism by which specific immunotherapy exerts its beneficial effect remains unclear. In order to evaluate the influence of venom immunotherapy on the T‐cell cytokine pattern of allergic reactions, we studied interleukin‐4 (IL‐4) and interferon‐γ (IFN‐γ) mRNA expression of peripheral T lymphocytes from 12 patients undergoing rush venom desensitization, before treatment at Day 0 (D0), at Day 15 (D15) and Day 90 (D90) after treatment, and from seven controls. Antigen‐specific T‐cell proliferation was also determined. Cytokine mRNA expression was evaluated using in situ hybridization, 24 hr after culture of peripheral T cells with medium, venom, or an unrelated allergen. Allergen‐induced T‐cell proliferation decreased at D15 and D90 of rush immunotherapy ( P ≤ 0.02). In venom‐stimulated cultures of the patient group, there was a decrease in IL‐4 mRNA‐positive cells at D15 and D90 ( P ≤ 0.001). Before desensitization, IFN‐γ mRNA expression was lower in patients than in controls and did not increase after in vitro allergen stimulation. In contrast, after immunotherapy, spontaneous IFN‐γ mRNA expression increased, but only at D90 ( P ≤ 0.001). The cytokine pattern observed at D90 after immunotherapy was similar to that observed in control subjects. In conclusion, venom immunotherapy induced an altered cytokine mRNA pattern in allergen‐stimulated T cells which was dissociated from the early changes of allergen‐induced T‐cell responsiveness.