Detection of choroid- and retina-antigen reactive CD8(+) and CD4(+) T lymphocytes in the vitreous fluid of patients with birdshot chorioretinopathy.

Abstract

Birdshot chorioretinopathy (BSCR), a progressive form of non-infectious uveitis, is the strongest HLA-associated disease described to date, with >95% of the patients displaying HLA-A29. Since indirect evidence indicates the involvement of T cells in the etiopathology of the disease, we now isolated, cultured and analyzed the vitreous fluid-infiltrating T cells from two BSCR patients with respect to their phenotype, cytokine profile, clonal distribution and antigen specificity. Phenotypic analyses revealed the predominant presence of both CD4(+) and CD8(+) T cells in vitreous fluid. Further analyses on short term expanded and cloned T cells suggested that eye-infiltrating T cells generally displayed a Th1 like cytokine profile with secretion of high levels of IFN-γ and TNF-α. In one patient an oligoclonal CD4(+) and CD8(+) T cell infiltration, with a moderate to strongly skewed TCR Vβ usage was suggestive for an antigen driven infiltration/expansion. Indeed, a number of intraocular CD4(+) and CD8(+) T cells responded to crude retinal and choroidal lysates. These results, which demonstrate for the first time the existence of eye-antigen-specific T cells in the vitreous fluid of BSCR patients, substantiate the current view on the role of eye-antigen specific T cells in the etiopathology of BSCR.

• Authors: Jonas J W Kuiper, Aniki Rothova, Peter A W Schellekens, Annette Ossewaarde-van Norel, Andries C Bloem, Tuna Mutis
• Journal: Human immunology (Hum Immunol) Vol. 75 Issue 6 Pg. 570-7 (Jun 2014) ISSN: 1879-1166 [Electronic] United States
• PMID: 24530754 (Publication Type: Case Reports, Journal Article, Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't)
• Copyright: Copyright © 2014 American Society for Histocompatibility and Immunogenetics. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Chemical References

• Autoantigens
• Complex Mixtures
• HLA-A Antigens
• HLA-A29 antigen
• Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell, alpha-beta
• Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha
• Interferon-gamma

Topics

• Autoantigens (pharmacology)
• Birdshot Chorioretinopathy
• CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes (drug effects, immunology, pathology)
• CD8-Positive T-Lymphocytes (drug effects, immunology, pathology)
• Chorioretinitis (immunology, pathology)
• Choroid (chemistry, immunology, pathology)
• Complex Mixtures (pharmacology)
• Female
• Gene Expression
• HLA-A Antigens (genetics, immunology)
• Humans
• Immunophenotyping
• Interferon-gamma (genetics, immunology)
• Middle Aged
• Primary Cell Culture
• Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell, alpha-beta (genetics, immunology)
• Retina (chemistry, immunology, pathology)
• Th1-Th2 Balance
• Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha (genetics, immunology)
• Vitreous Body (immunology, pathology)