PRODUCTION OF MONOCYTE CHEMOATTRACTANT PROTEIN-1 IN TUBERCULOSIS PATIENTS

To investigate the role of monocyte chemoattractant protein 1 (MCP-1) in the immune response to Mycobacterium tuberculosis, we studied MCP-1 production in tuberculosis patients. CD14(+) blood monocytes from tub erculosis patients spontaneously expressed higher levels of MCP-1 mRNA and protein than CD14(+) monocytes from healthy tuberculin reactors. MCP-1. production in lymph nodes from tuberculosis patients was also m arkedly increased. These findings suggest that MCP-1 can contribute to the antimycobacterial inflammatory response by attracting monocytes a nd T lymphocytes.