Skip to main content
PMC home page
Clinical and Experimental Immunology logoLink to Clinical and Experimental Immunology
. 1988 Jul;73(1):82–87.

HLA-DR expression in the vascular lesion and circulating T lymphocytes of patients with giant cell arteritis.

R Andersson 1, G K Hansson 1, T Söderström 1, R Jonsson 1, B A Bengtsson 1, E Nordborg 1
PMCID: PMC1541465  PMID: 3048814

Abstract

Giant cell arteritis (GCA) is a vascular inflammatory disease characterized by accumulations of T lymphocytes and macrophages in the arterial wall. In order to characterize the immune response in GCA, we have analysed temporal artery biopsies using a double-staining immunofluorescence method and studied T lymphocytes in peripheral blood with a fluorescence-activated cell sorter (FACS). HLA-DR was expressed on 28% (range 16-42%) of all T lymphocytes in the wall of the inflamed temporal artery, but only on average on 6% of peripheral blood T lymphocytes, indicating a high degree of local T cell activation in the inflammatory lesion. The proportions of T lymphocytes, T helper/inducer and T suppressor/cytotoxic cells in the blood of GCA patients before treatment with prednisolone did not deviate from those in normal individuals, but there was a minor increase in T helper cells after initiation of steroid therapy. The number of T helper cells expressing HLA-DR antigen and IL-2 receptor was not altered after 6-10 days of treatment with prednisolone. We found no evidence of HLA-DR expression by arterial smooth muscle cells in the GCA lesions, suggesting that these cells do not serve as antigen-presenting cells in GCA.

Full text

PDF
85

Images in this article

85Fig. 2
on p.85

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. Andersson R., Jonsson R., Tarkowski A., Bengtsson B. A., Malmvall B. E. T cell subsets and expression of immunological activation markers in the arterial walls of patients with giant cell arteritis. Ann Rheum Dis. 1987 Dec;46(12):915–923. doi: 10.1136/ard.46.12.915. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Banks P. M., Cohen M. D., Ginsburg W. W., Hunder G. G. Immunohistologic and cytochemical studies of temporal arteritis. Arthritis Rheum. 1983 Oct;26(10):1201–1207. doi: 10.1002/art.1780261005. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Bengtsson B. A., Malmvall B. E. The epidemiology of giant cell arteritis including temporal arteritis and polymyalgia rheumatica. Incidences of different clinical presentations and eye complications. Arthritis Rheum. 1981 Jul;24(7):899–904. doi: 10.1002/art.1780240706. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Benlahrache C., Segond P., Auquier L., Bouvet J. P. Decrease of the OKT8 positive T cell subset in polymyalgia rheumatica. Lack of correlation with disease activity. Arthritis Rheum. 1983 Dec;26(12):1472–1480. doi: 10.1002/art.1780261209. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Ceuppens J. L., Goodwin J. S., Searles R. P. The presence of Ia antigen on human peripheral blood T cells and T-cell subsets: analysis with monoclonal antibodies and the fluorescence-activated cell sorter. Cell Immunol. 1981 Nov 1;64(2):277–292. doi: 10.1016/0008-8749(81)90480-9. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Chelazzi G., Broggini M. Abnormalities of peripheral blood T lymphocyte subsets in polymyalgia rheumatica. Clin Exp Rheumatol. 1984 Oct-Dec;2(4):333–336. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Elling H., Elling P. Decreased level of suppressor/cytotoxic T cells (OKT8+) in polymyalgia rheumatica and temporal arteritis: relation to disease activity. J Rheumatol. 1985 Apr;12(2):306–309. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Fauci A. S., Dale D. C. The effect of in vivo hydrocortisone on subpopulations of human lymphocytes. J Clin Invest. 1974 Jan;53(1):240–246. doi: 10.1172/JCI107544. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Hansson G. K., Jonasson L., Holm J., Claesson-Welsh L. Class II MHC antigen expression in the atherosclerotic plaque: smooth muscle cells express HLA-DR, HLA-DQ and the invariant gamma chain. Clin Exp Immunol. 1986 May;64(2):261–268. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Haynes B. F., Fauci A. S. The differential effect of in vivo hydrocortisone on the kinetics of subpopulations of human peripheral blood thymus-derived lymphocytes. J Clin Invest. 1978 Mar;61(3):703–707. doi: 10.1172/JCI108982. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Hämmerling G. J. Tissue distribution of Ia antigens and their expression on lymphocyte subpopulations. Transplant Rev. 1976;30:64–82. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Iwatani Y., Amino N., Mori H., Asari S., Ina K., Ennyu K., Miyai K. Effects of various isolation methods for human peripheral lymphocytes on T cell subsets determined in a fluorescence activated cell sorter (FACS), and demonstration of a sex difference of suppressor/cytotoxic T cells. J Immunol Methods. 1982 Oct 15;54(1):31–42. doi: 10.1016/0022-1759(82)90110-7. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Jonasson L., Holm J., Skalli O., Bondjers G., Hansson G. K. Regional accumulations of T cells, macrophages, and smooth muscle cells in the human atherosclerotic plaque. Arteriosclerosis. 1986 Mar-Apr;6(2):131–138. doi: 10.1161/01.atv.6.2.131. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. Jonasson L., Holm J., Skalli O., Gabbiani G., Hansson G. K. Expression of class II transplantation antigen on vascular smooth muscle cells in human atherosclerosis. J Clin Invest. 1985 Jul;76(1):125–131. doi: 10.1172/JCI111934. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. Klareskog L., Forsum U., Scheynius A., Kabelitz D., Wigzell H. Evidence in support of a self-perpetuating HLA-DR-dependent delayed-type cell reaction in rheumatoid arthritis. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1982 Jun;79(11):3632–3636. doi: 10.1073/pnas.79.11.3632. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  16. Moyer C. F., Reinisch C. L. The role of vascular smooth muscle cells in experimental autoimmune vasculitis. I. The initiation of delayed type hypersensitivity angiitis. Am J Pathol. 1984 Dec;117(3):380–390. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  17. Palacios R. Mechanism of T cell activation: role and functional relationship of HLA-DR antigens and interleukins. Immunol Rev. 1982;63:73–110. doi: 10.1111/j.1600-065x.1982.tb00412.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  18. Williams R. C., Jr, Webster A. D., Morito T., Greaves M. F. T lymphocyte subpopulations and Ia-positive T cells in patients with immunodeficiency. Clin Exp Immunol. 1980 Nov;42(2):355–363. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  19. Yu D. T., Clements P. J., Paulus H. E., Peter J. B., Levy J., Barnett E. V. Human lymphocyte subpopulations. Effect of corticosteroids. J Clin Invest. 1974 Feb;53(2):565–571. doi: 10.1172/JCI107591. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  20. Yu D. T., Winchester R. J., Fu S. M., Gibofsky A., Ko H. S., Kunkel H. G. Peripheral blood Ia-positive T cells. Increases in certain diseases and after immunization. J Exp Med. 1980 Jan 1;151(1):91–100. doi: 10.1084/jem.151.1.91. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from Clinical and Experimental Immunology are provided here courtesy of British Society for Immunology

RESOURCES