T lymphocyte lines isolated from atheromatous plaque contain cells capable of responding to Chlamydia antigens
T lymphocyte lines isolated from atheromatous plaque contain cells capable of responding to Chlamydia antigens
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DOI：
10.1046/j.1365-2249.2000.01294.x
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发表时间：
2000-08-01
影响因子：
4.6
通讯作者：
Gaston, JSH
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Curry, AJ;Portig, I;Gaston, JSH
Chlamydia pneumoniae infection is associated with atherosclerosis and the organism has been identified in arterial lesions. To determine whether T lymphocyte-mediated immune responses to Chlamydia antigens within plaque could contribute to pathogenesis, we have derived T cell lines from atherosclerotic plaques of 32 patients. Culture with IL-2 alone proved insufficient for cellular activation and expansion, but additional stimulation with phytohaemagglutinin (PHA) or recall antigens allowed consistent establishment of T cell lines. Furthermore, in cultures of approx. 500 tissue fragments, Chlamydia organisms proved as effective as other recall antigens in producing outgrowth of arterial T cells (20-25% wells produced T cell lines). Testing the antigen responsiveness of T cell lines showed that those derived using Chlamydia organisms were more likely to respond to Chlamydia (5/29+) than those isolated using other stimuli (6/69+ for PHA; 5/57+ for PPD and tetanus toxoid (TT)). However, lines responsive to each of the recall antigens were observed. Using recombinant Chlamydia antigens, some Chlamydia-specific T cell lines were shown to respond to OMP2 and/or hsp60. Those recognizing Chlamydia hsp60 did not cross-react with human hsp60, but human hsp60-responsive lines were also observed. Thus, atherosclerotic plaque tissue contains a variety of memory T lymphocytes, and amongst these are cells capable of recognizing Chlamydia antigens. In a C. pneumoniae-infected plaque, such T cells may be activated by local antigen and could contribute to the inflammatory process in the arterial wall through CD40 ligand expression and cytokine secretion.
