Ag. Droogan et al., GAMMA-DELTA T-CELL DISTRIBUTION IN CEREBROSPINAL-FLUID AND PERIPHERAL-BLOOD OF PATIENTS WITH MULTIPLE-SCLEROSIS, Journal of the neurological sciences, 126(2), 1994, pp. 172-177
The distribution of gamma delta T cells was determined in peripheral b
lood of 50 patients in acute relapse of clinically definite multiple s
clerosis (MS), 8 patients with primary progressive MS, 26 patients wit
h inflammatory neurological disease (IND), 33 patients with non-inflam
matory neurological disease (NIND) and 31 healthy subjects. Paired cer
ebrospinal fluid samples were obtained from 37 patients with relapsing
-remitting MS, 2 patients with primary progressive MS, 14 with IND and
18 with NIND. The monoclonal antibodies pan-alpha beta TCR, TCR delta
1, delta TCS1 and anti-delta V2(a) which identify alpha beta T cells,
gamma delta T cells, V delta 1, and V delta 2 gene products respectiv
ely, were used to define the T cell receptor repertoire. gamma delta T
cells expressed as a percentage of CD3 + lymphocytes were lower in MS
CSF compared to NIND CSF (3.4% +/- 0.5 versus 7.3% +/- 1.4; p < 0.001
). This was due to a lower percentage of both V delta 1 + (1.3 +/- 0.3
% versus 3.3 +/- 0.5; p < 0.001) and V delta 2 + (1.9 +/- 0.3 versus 4
.6 +/- 0.8; p < 0.001) subsets in MS CSF. Peripheral blood levels of g
amma delta T cells were normal in each study group. CD45RA expression
was increased on gamma delta T cells in CSF of each patient group when
compared with the paired blood samples. These results suggest that V
delta 1 + and V delta 2 + gamma delta T cells with altered CD45 expres
sion are reduced in CSF of patients with established MS. This finding
may be related to sequestration or apoptosis of gamma delta T cells wi
thin active MS lesions.