Abstract
Patients with a CAH have increased numbers of activated circulating T-lymphocytes expressing interleukin 2 receptors (IL-2R). By sequentially incubating peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) of a patient with aCAH with recominant IL-2 and PHA at a concentration of 0.3 cells/well, 11 T cell clones were generated, 10 of which were CD4+ and one CD8+. Two CD4+ clones proliferated in response to rabbit liver membrane homogenate (RLM) when co-cultured with irradiated autologous PBMC as antigen presenting cells, but not with allogeneic PBMC. No proliferation was observed when rabbit kidney membrane was used as stimulating antigen. Proliferation of RLM-specific T cell clones was blocked by adding anti-CD4, anti-HLA DR and anti-IL2R, the inhibition being reversed in the latter case with excess IL-2. Six T cel clones (4 CD8+, 2 CD4+) generated from a control under similar conditions were unresponsive to RLM whether presented by autologous or allogeneic PBMC.
These results show that T cell clones can be generated from circulating IL-2R+ T cells of patients with aCAH. Their specificity for liver cell membrane, the likely target of the immune attack on aCAH, indicates their involvement in the pathogenesis of this disease.
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Wen, L., Lobo Yeo, A., Pcakman, M. et al. LIVER MEMBRANE-SPECIFIC T CEL CLONES IN AUTOIMMUNE CHRONIC ACTIVE HEPATITIS (aCAH). Pediatr Res 26, 272 (1989). https://doi.org/10.1203/00006450-198909000-00050
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1203/00006450-198909000-00050