Figure 3.

Functional reactivity of CD8⁺CD57⁺ T cells from acute MI patients. (a) PBMCs were stimulated with anti-CD3 antibody for 6 h, and intracellular cytokine staining for IFN-γ, TNF-α and IL-17A was performed (n=58). The frequency of IFN-γ-, TNF-α- or IL-17A-secreting cells in the CD8⁺CD57⁺ T-cell population was compared with those in the paired CD8⁺CD57⁻ T-cell population. (b) IFN-γ secretion by CD8⁺CD57⁺ T cells in response to IL-12 and IL-18 stimulation without anti-CD3 antibody for 48 h was examined (n=6). (c) Intracellular staining for cytotoxic granule proteins was performed (n=58). The frequency of granzyme A⁺, granzyme B⁺ or perforin⁺ cells in either the CD8⁺CD57⁺ or CD8⁺CD57⁻ T-cell populations was assessed by flow cytometry. The P value for each protein was calculated using the paired t-test. **P<0.01. MI, myocardial infarction; PBMC, peripheral blood mononuclear cell.