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IL-17 producing CD4+CD45RO+ T-cells in atherosclerosis express GITR molecule

Artery Research volume 21, pages 20–28 (2018)Cite this article

Abstract

Background

Atherosclerosis (AS) is a chronic inflammatory disease of vessel walls associated with infiltration of immune cells which their function is controlled by different co-stimulatory and co-inhibitory receptors. We investigated the expression of co-inhibitory molecules on the memory and effector T-cells in patients with Atherosclerosis.

Methods

Patients included 9 hypertensive, dyslipidemic, non-diabetic, non-smoker individuals with the diagnosis of coronary artery disease and controls were 8 normotensive, normolipemic, non-diabetic, non-smoker individuals with normal coronary angiography/insignificant coronary artery disease. PBMCs were separated from the blood and memory T-cell subsets as well as the expression of Glucocorticoid-induced tumor necrosis factor receptor (GITR), Programmed Death-1 (PD-1), IL-17A and IFN-γ were quantified by flowcytometry.

Results

CD4+CD45RO+ memory T-cells and CD4+CD45RO− effector T-cells in patients expressed the highest level of GITR molecule. The IL-17 producing memory CD4+CD45RO+ T-cells were enriched in GITR molecule in the patients group (P = 0.03). The increased population of GITR+effector CD4+CD45RO− T-cells in patients, however, did not produce IL-17 (P = 0.03). PD-1 expression on memory T-cells of the patients was higher than the controls and was concomitant with the lack of IFN-γ expression (P = 0.05). IFN-γ production by effector T-cells was only seen in the PD-1 – population in both groups.

Conclusions

We provide data on the expression of GITR molecule on IL-17 producing memory T-cells in patients with CAD. A population of memory T-cells, which expressed PD-1 and were not producing IFN-γ, also increased in patients’ blood. These data suggest the modified phenotype/function of T-cell subsets in the atherosclerotic inflammation.

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Author notes

  1. These authors contributed equally in this manuscript.

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Memory T-cell Laboratory, Department of Immunology, School of Medicine, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, P.O. Box: 71345-3119, 71348-45794, Shiraz, Iran

    Atefe Ghamar Talepoor, Negar Behnamfar & Mehrnoosh Doroudchi

  2. Cardiovascular Research Center, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran

    Mohammad Javad Zibaeenezhad

Authors
  1. Atefe Ghamar Talepoor
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  2. Negar Behnamfar
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  3. Mohammad Javad Zibaeenezhad
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  4. Mehrnoosh Doroudchi
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Correspondence to Mehrnoosh Doroudchi.

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This is an open access article distributed under the CC BY-NC license. https://doi.org/creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

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Talepoor, A.G., Behnamfar, N., Zibaeenezhad, M.J. et al. IL-17 producing CD4+CD45RO+ T-cells in atherosclerosis express GITR molecule. Artery Res 21, 20–28 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.artres.2017.12.004

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Artery Research

ISSN: 1876-4401

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