DETECTION BY 4-PARAMETER MICROSCOPIC IMAGING AND INCREASE OF RARE MONONUCLEAR BLOOD LEUKOCYTE TYPES EXPRESSING THE FC-GAMMA-RIII RECEPTOR (CD16) FOR IMMUNOGLOBULIN-G IN HUMAN SPORADIC AMYOTROPHIC-LATERAL-SCLEROSIS (ALS)

By using quantitative multiparameter microscopic imaging we demonstrat e concentration of two peripheral mononuclear blood leukocyte types ex pressing the FcyRIII receptor for immunogobulin G in a clinical subgro up of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS, n = 9) showing bulbar palsy (ALS(BP)) and/or predominant involvement of the upper motor neuron (AL S(C)). Triple fluorescence staining and overlay with phase contrast im ages (4 parameters) reveals that cell type 1 co-expresses FcyRIII (CD1 6), CD8 and CD57 surface antigens (ALS(C) 50 +/- 33.6 cells/mu l, P = 0.0012; ALS(BP) 16.5 +/- 32.4, P = 0.029). This cell type is not obser ved in healthy individuals (n = 8) and is only insignificantly increas ed (P > 0.05) in neurological disease controls (stroke, n = 3, 2.1 +/- 3.7; polymyositis, n = 6, 1.5 +/- 4.0 cells/mu l) and in ALS cases wi th peripheral symptoms (ALS(p) n = 12: 7.6 +/- 8.7). Cell type 2 co-ex presses FcyRIII (CD16) and CD8, but is negative for CD57 (ALS(C) 60.1 +/- 19.3; ALS(BP) 24.2 +/- 28.0 cells/mu l). These findings are consis tent with previous reports on IgG isotype changes and immune-cell inva sion of the motor system in ALS.