Regulatory T cell expression of CLA or α(4)β(7) and skin or gut acute GVHD outcomes

Bone Marrow Transplant. 2011 Mar;46(3):436-42. doi: 10.1038/bmt.2010.127. Epub 2010 May 31.

Abstract

Regulatory T cells (Tregs) are a suppressive subset of CD4(+) T lymphocytes implicated in the prevention of acute GVHD (aGVHD) after allo-SCT (ASCT). To determine whether increased frequency of Tregs with a skin-homing (cutaneous lymphocyte Ag, CLA(+)) or a gut-homing (α(4)β(7)(+)) phenotype is associated with reduced risk of skin or gut aGVHD, respectively, we quantified circulating CLA(+) or α(4)β(7)(+) on Tregs at the time of neutrophil engraftment in 43 patients undergoing ASCT. Increased CLA(+) Tregs at engraftment was associated with the prevention of skin aGVHD (2.6 vs 1.7%; P=0.038 (no skin aGVHD vs skin aGVHD)), and increased frequencies of CLA(+) and α(4)β(7)(+) Tregs were negatively correlated with severity of skin aGVHD (odds ratio (OR), 0.67; 95% confidence interval (CI), 0.46-0.98; P=0.041) or gut aGVHD (OR, 0.93; 95% CI, 0.88-0.99; P=0.031), respectively. This initial report suggests that Treg tissue-homing subsets help to regulate organ-specific risk and severity of aGVHD after human ASCT. These results need to be validated in a larger, multicenter cohort.

Publication types

  • Multicenter Study
  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural

MeSH terms

  • Acute Disease
  • Adult
  • Aged
  • Antigens, Differentiation, T-Lymphocyte / biosynthesis*
  • Antigens, Differentiation, T-Lymphocyte / immunology
  • Cohort Studies
  • Cytokines / biosynthesis
  • Cytokines / immunology
  • Female
  • Graft vs Host Disease / immunology*
  • Humans
  • Immunophenotyping
  • Integrins / biosynthesis*
  • Integrins / immunology
  • Intestinal Diseases / immunology*
  • Male
  • Membrane Glycoproteins / biosynthesis*
  • Membrane Glycoproteins / immunology
  • Middle Aged
  • Skin Diseases / immunology*
  • T-Lymphocytes, Regulatory / immunology*
  • T-Lymphocytes, Regulatory / metabolism
  • Young Adult

Substances

  • Antigens, Differentiation, T-Lymphocyte
  • CTAGE1 protein, human
  • Cytokines
  • Integrins
  • Membrane Glycoproteins
  • integrin alpha4beta7