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Interferon‐γ‐Secreting T Cells Localize to the Epithelium in Coeliac Disease
Author(s) -
Olaussen R. W.,
Johansen F. E.,
Lundin K. E. A.,
Jahnsen J.,
Brandtzaeg P.,
Farstad I. N.
Publication year - 2002
Publication title -
scandinavian journal of immunology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.934
H-Index - 88
eISSN - 1365-3083
pISSN - 0300-9475
DOI - 10.1046/j.1365-3083.2002.01195.x
Subject(s) - lamina propria , intraepithelial lymphocyte , pathology , cd8 , biopsy , interferon gamma , epithelium , biology , coeliac disease , microbiology and biotechnology , immunohistochemistry , medicine , immunology , cytokine , immune system , disease
Increased levels of interferon‐γ (IFN‐γ) transcripts have previously been found in duodenal biopsy specimens from patients with untreated coeliac disease (CD). Such samples and duodenal control mucosa were therefore studied to locate and phenotype cells spontaneously secreting IFN‐γ. Specimens were collected from consecutively recruited patients with untreated (seven), treated (four) or refractory (three) CD and from five histologically normal controls. Morphological and immunohistochemical examinations were performed, and epithelial and lamina propria cell suspensions were prepared from parallel samples. Unstimulated viable cells secreting IFN‐γ were identified and phenotyped with a new fluorescence‐activated cell sorter‐based assay, and IFN‐γ messenger RNA (mRNA) was analysed in snap‐frozen aliquots of the same suspensions. Untreated CD cases had the highest fraction of IFN‐γ + cells in the epithelial compartment (median 2.6%, range 1.6–6.2%) and, less strikingly, in the lamina propria compartment (1.6%, range 0.3–3.6%), followed by refractory (1.4%, 1.0–1.9%; and 0.3%, 0.0–1.2%) and treated (0.8%, 0.5–0.9%; and 0.7%, 0.2–1.1%) disease and finally the controls (0.5%, 0.3–0.9%; and 0.2%, 0.1–0.7%). IFN‐γ mRNA data supported these findings. IFN‐γ + intraepithelial lymphocytes were mostly CD3 + and CD8 + , whereas many positive lamina propria cells were CD8 – . We conclude that isolated T cells spontaneously secreting IFN‐γ localize preferentially in the epithelium of patients with classical and refractory CD.