Open AccessSubsets of CD8 + , CD57 + cells in normal, healthy individuals: correlations with human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) carrier status, phenotypic and functional analyses
Author(s) -
WANG E. C. Y.,
TAYLORWIEDEMAN J.,
PERERA P.,
FISHER J.,
BORYSIEWICZ L. K.
Publication year - 1993
Publication title -
clinical & experimental immunology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.329
H-Index - 135
eISSN - 1365-2249
pISSN - 0009-9104
DOI - 10.1111/j.1365-2249.1993.tb03447.x
Subject(s) - biology , immunology , cd8 , cytotoxic t cell , il 2 receptor , population , cd16 , t cell , microbiology and biotechnology , natural killer cell , cd3 , antigen , immune system , medicine , in vitro , biochemistry , environmental health
SUMMARY Two different subsets of CD8 + , CD57 + cells have been defined, one expressing high levels (CD8 high + (CD57 + )), the other expressing low levels of surface CD8 (CD8 low + (CD57 + )). Increased numbers of CD8 high + (CD57 + ) cells correlated with previous HCMV infection. By three‐colour fluorescence analysis, the CD8 high + (CD57 + ) population expressed T cell markers such as CD3 and CD5, and most were αβ T cell receptor (αβ TCR)‐positive. A significant proportion also expressed CD71 (transferrin receptor) and MHC class II, although little if any CD25 (IL‐2R‐p55). Some (≥ 40%) co‐expressed CD45RA and CD45RO. The CD8 low + (CD57 + ) population expressed classical natural killer (NK) cell markers—CD2, CD16 and CD56. The two subsets were also functionally distinct; CD8 high + (CD57 + ) cells suppressed pokeweed mitogen (PWM)‐driven, but not phytohaem‐agglutinin (PHA)‐driven proliferation and immunoglobulin production; CD8 low + (CD57 + ) cells exhibited NK cytotoxic activity which was not increased by interferon‐alpha (IFN‐α). Supernatant from cultured CD8 high + (CD57 + ) cells suppressed PWM‐driven immunoglobulin production, but not proliferation, and this effect was abrogated by physical separation with tissue culture inserts. Thus, a T cell subset expressing activation and memory T cell markers with direct non‐specific suppressor activity was present in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) of healthy subjects with asymptomatic HCMV infection.