IN-VITRO GENETICALLY ABERRANT T-CELL CLONES WITH CONTINUOUS GROWTH ARE ASSOCIATED WITH ATOPIC-DERMATITIS

Atopic dermatitis is a disease with a genetic predisposition affecting the immune system, with T lymphocytes participating in the immune dys regulation. Most in vitro T lymphocyte studies of atopic dermatitis ha ve focused on antigen-specific T-cell clones. However, antigen-non-spe cific regulatory T lymphocytes may also take part in the pathway leadi ng to antigen-specific clonal T-lymphocyte proliferation. T lymphocyte s from skin biopsy specimens from three patients with severe atopic de rmatitis were cultured in the presence of IL-2 and IL-4, but without a ntigen added. Initially, proliferation was oligo- or polyclonal, but i n all cases overgrowth by T cells with clonal chromosomal aberrations was subsequently observed. These abnormal T-cell clones demonstrated c ontinuous growth and complete or partial phenotypic loss of the T-cell antigen receptor complex. In summary, these findings suggest that a s ubset of aberrant skin-homing T lymphocytes is associated with atopic dermatitis.