T-Lymphocyte Subsets in the Lesional Skin of Allogeneic and Autologous Bone Marrow Transplant Patients

Abstract

Cutaneous biopsy specimens obtained from bone marrow transplant (BMT) patients, most with graft-vs-host disease (GVHD), were analyzed for infiltration by helper, cytotoxic, and suppressor T lymphocytes and natural killer cells. Lesional skin from patients with early mild GVHD and drug reactions showed a CD4/CD8 ratio of 5.0 or more, but later biopsy specimens from patients with acute GVHD and the majority of sections from those with chronic GVHD showed a CD4/CD8 ratio of 0.8 to 3.0 due to increased numbers of presumably cytotoxic cells. Significant numbers of suppressor (CD11 +/- CD16b-) cells were found in only one patient with severe chronic GVHD. Natural killer cells were not found. Preliminary examination of lesional skin from seven autologous BMT patients showed a similar trend of decreased CD4/CD8 ratios in the three patients with a syndrome that resembled GVHD. Analysis of CD4/CD8 ratios in serial biopsy specimens from patients with GVHD may allow more accurate monitoring of the progression of cutaneous GVHD and may help to elucidate the mechanism of development of the GVHD-like reaction in autologous BMT patients.

In Vivo Gene Therapy with Interleukin-12 Inhibits Primary Vascular Tumor Growth and Induces Apoptosis in a Mouse Model1

“…Immunohistochemistry Lymphocyte subsets, natural killer cells, and mIL-12 were detected in frozen tumor tissue sections using immunohistochemical staining as previously described (Paller et al, 1988), using rat monoclonal anti-CD8 or anti-CD4, mouse monoclonal anti-natural killer cell, or rabbit polyclonal anti-mIL-12 antibodies (Pharmigen, Piscataway, NJ), and detected by 3Ј,3Ј-diaminobenzidine-H 2 O 2 staining. Mouse spleen was used as positive control tissue.…”

Chronic Graft‐versus‐Host Disease with Follicular Involvement

“…Kaye et al (13) reponed that the CD4/CD8 ratio varies in different patients; only one of three patients with chronic GVHD they studied showed a CD4/CD8 ratio larger than unity. Paller et al (14) also reponed that the CD4/CD8 ratio was from 2.3 to 6.6 in chronic GVHD but tended to be lower in the acute form. It is suggested that the helper T cells may produce local factors that stimulate the differentiation of precursor cells to cytotoxic T cells into the lesion.…”

Acute graft-versus-host disease following hematopoietic stem-cell transplantation

“…While many studies have been conducted to determine the nature of the lymphocyte subpopulations found in the skin of patients with acute GVHD, unfortunately, the results are inconclusive at best (72–84). The infiltrate is composed of T cells, but both CD4+ and CD8+ subsets have shown to predominate (72–84).…”

“…While many studies have been conducted to determine the nature of the lymphocyte subpopulations found in the skin of patients with acute GVHD, unfortunately, the results are inconclusive at best (72)(73)(74)(75)(76)(77)(78)(79)(80)(81)(82)(83)(84). The infiltrate is composed of T cells, but both CD4+ and CD8+ subsets have shown to predominate (72)(73)(74)(75)(76)(77)(78)(79)(80)(81)(82)(83)(84). In recent years, plasma and urine proteomics have shown promise in enabling early diagnosis of acute GVHD (85)(86)(87)(88).…”