Expression of CD30 mRNA, CD30L mRNA and a variant form of CD30 mRNA in restimulated peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) of patients with helminthic infections resembling a Th2 disease

It has been proposed that CD30, a member of the tumour necrosis factor (TNF ) receptor superfamily, is preferentially up-regulated on Th2-type human T cells. In order to investigate a correlation between infection with Echinoc occus multilocularis and CD30 expression, we analysed regulation of CD30 mR NA, a variant form of CD30 mRNA (CD30v) and CD30 ligand (CD30L) mRNA expres sion on PBMC from patients with alveolar echinococcosis (AE) using reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). In PBMC of patients with AE as well as healthy donors, spontaneous expression of CD30L mRNA and the CD30v mRNA could be detected. However, the intact form of CD30 mRNA could b e detected neither in freshly isolated PBMC of patients nor in PBMC of heal thy individuals. Expression of CD30L mRNA and the variant form of CD30 mRNA was frequently detected at individual time points during 72 h of culture o f PBMC stimulated with crude Echinococcus antigen. In contrast to CD30v or CD30L mRNA expression, induction of CD30 mRNA expression was detected only in three out of six (50%) healthy donors and in 10 out of 21 (48%) patients with alveolar echinococcosis after 72 h of incubation. As a control, mitog enic stimulation of PBMC of both healthy individuals and infected patients led to expression of intact CD30 mRNA within 24 h of culture. These data de monstrate the different expression of two different forms of CD30 mRNA in P BMC of human individuals. The specific induction of CD30 expression is corr elated only in rare cases with the clinical status of patients with AE, ind icating the lack of a general induction of CD30 mRNA in this Th2-type-domin ated helminthic disease. The data provide further evidence that the CD30 re ceptor is not an exclusive marker for a Th2-type response.