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Granuloma cells in chronic inflammation express CD205 ( DEC205 ) antigen and harbor proliferating T lymphocytes: Similarity to antigen‐presenting cells
Author(s) -
Ohtani Haruo
Publication year - 2013
Publication title -
pathology international
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.73
H-Index - 74
eISSN - 1440-1827
pISSN - 1320-5463
DOI - 10.1111/pin.12036
Subject(s) - granuloma , immune system , antigen , biology , inflammation , t lymphocyte , pathology , t cell , lymphocyte , immunology , medicine
Granulomas are classified as immune or foreign body granulomas. Of these, the immune granulomas, a hallmark of granulomatous inflammation, are closely related to cell‐mediated immune responses. The aim of the present study is to characterize immune granuloma cells in 33 patients with granulomatous inflammation focusing on the expression of CD205 ( DEC205 ), a cell surface marker of antigen presenting cells, and their spatial relationship to T cells. CD205 was frequently expressed by immune granuloma cells, in contrast to foreign body granuloma cells that lacked CD205 expression. T cells were not only distributed in a lymphocyte collar around the granuloma, but also present among the granuloma cells (termed ‘intra‐granuloma T cells’). Intra‐granuloma T cells stained positive for K i‐67 (median positivity = 9.4%) by double immunostaining for CD3 and K i‐67. This indicated the presence of proliferative stimuli within the granuloma that could activate the intra‐granuloma T cells. The labeling index of K i‐67 in intra‐granuloma T cells was significantly higher than that of T cells in the lymphocyte collar ( P < 0.0001) or T cells in the T cell zone (paracortex) of chronic tonsillitis or reactive lymphadenitis ( P = 0.002). These data indicate a close similarity between immune granulomas and antigen presenting cells.