Higher proliferative capacity of T lymphocytes from patients with Crohn disease than from ulcerative colitis is disclosed by use of Herpesvirus saimiri-transformed T-cell lines

Abstract

lymphocytes play a crucial role in the pathogenesis of inflammatory bowel disease. Achieving stable T-cell lines, rather than continuous bleeding of patients, is desirable in order to dissect Achieving stable T-cell lines, rather than continuous bleeding of patients is desirable in order to dissect their implication in the disease. Methods: Long-lasting T-cell lines from patients with Crohn disease and ulcerative colitis and from healthy volunteers have been obtained by transformation of T lymphocytes using the lymphotropic nodstts Herpesvirus saimiri. Lines were subjected to phenotypic and functional analyses, were and the results compared with freshly isolated peripheral blood mononuclear cells. Results: Fresh cells revealed only minor differences between patients and controls, with regard to phenotype and proliferative revealed only minor differences between patients and controls, with reeard to phenotyne and proliferative capacity. In contrast, the use of T-cell lines ls showed that cellss from Crohn disease patients, but not ulcerative colitis patients, over-responded to several membrane or cytoplasmic stimuli when compared to control T-cell lines. Thus, higher responses were found when stimulated with αCD3 and IL2, αCD3 and CD28 12 alone horhol estere (PMA) nd CD3 and fnally PMA and 2005 11 αCD28, IL2 alone, phorbol esters (PMA) and αCD3 and, finally, PMA and αCD2 (P< 0.05 in all instances). Further, lines from patients with Crohn disease responded more vigorously to αCD3 and αCD28 or αCD3 and PMA when compared to ulcerative colitis (P<0.05 in both instances). Conclusiosded wimhese thatcels sions: The data obtained with these lines suggest that T cells from patients with Crohn disease differ in vivo in their proliferative capacity, as compared with those from ulcerative colitis patients, a finding that may reflect the clear Th-1 phenotyne found in the former and absent in the latte