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Increased numbers of mononuclear cells from blood and CSF expressing interferon‐gamma mRNA in multiple sclerosis are from both the CD4+ and the CD8+ subsets
Author(s) -
Wallström E.,
Khademi M.,
Andersson M.,
Olsson T.
Publication year - 2000
Publication title -
european journal of neurology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.881
H-Index - 124
eISSN - 1468-1331
pISSN - 1351-5101
DOI - 10.1046/j.1468-1331.2000.00027.x
Subject(s) - cd8 , peripheral blood mononuclear cell , multiple sclerosis , immunology , interferon gamma , medicine , pathogenesis , cerebrospinal fluid , in situ hybridization , cytotoxic t cell , cytokine , immune system , inflammation , pathology , messenger rna , biology , gene , in vitro , biochemistry
Activated, cytokine‐producing lymphocytes may regulate central nervous system (CNS) inflammation in multiple sclerosis (MS). We utilize a novel combination of in situ hybridization (ISH) and immunocytochemical staining of peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBLs) to identify spontaneously interferon‐gamma (IFNγ) mRNA expressing cells as CD4+ or CD8+. A major proportion of the IFNγ mRNA expressing lymphocytes belonged to the CD4+ lineage, which concords with the cellular composition of MS brain lesions, findings in experimental models and the HLA class II haplotype association in MS. There were also significantly more CD8+ IFNγ mRNA expressing lymphocytes in the MS patients compared with healthy controls, further suggesting the contribution of activated cells from this lineage in the inflammatory response in MS. Both CD4+ and CD8+ IFNγ mRNA expressing cells were enriched in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) as compared with the peripheral blood of the MS patients. Combined with emerging genetic data on HLA class I influences, our data argues for a joint role of activated CD8+ and CD4+ cells in the pathogenesis of MS.