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Small intestinal CD8+TCRγδ+NKG2A+ intraepithelial lymphocytes have attributes of regulatory cells in patients with celiac disease
Govind Bhagat, … , Peter H.R. Green, John S. Manavalan
Govind Bhagat, … , Peter H.R. Green, John S. Manavalan
Published December 6, 2007
Citation Information: J Clin Invest. 2008;118(1):281-293. https://doi.org/10.1172/JCI30989.
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Research Article Immunology Article has an altmetric score of 3

Small intestinal CD8+TCRγδ+NKG2A+ intraepithelial lymphocytes have attributes of regulatory cells in patients with celiac disease

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Abstract

Intraepithelial lymphocytes (IELs) bearing the γδ TCR are more abundant in the small intestinal mucosa of patients with celiac disease (CD) compared with healthy individuals. However, their role in disease pathogenesis is not well understood. Here, we investigated the functional attributes of TCRγδ+ IELs isolated from intestinal biopsies of patients with either active celiac disease (ACD) or those on a gluten-free diet (GFD). We found that compared with individuals with ACD, individuals on GFD have a higher frequency of CD8+TCRγδ+ IELs that express the inhibitory NK receptor NKG2A and intracellular TGF-β1. TCR triggering as well as cross-linking of NKG2A increased both TGF-β1 intracellular expression and secretion in vitro. Coculture of sorted TCRγδ+NKG2A+ IELs, IL-15–stimulated TCRαβ+ IELs, and HLA-E+ enterocytes resulted in a decreased percentage of cytotoxic CD8+TCRαβ+ IELs expressing intracellular IFN-γ and granzyme-B and surface NKG2D. This inhibition was partially abrogated by blocking either TGF-β alone or both NKG2A and HLA-E. Thus, our data indicate that suppression was at least partially mediated by TGF-β secretion as a result of engagement of NKG2A with its ligand, HLA-E, on enterocytes and/or TCRαβ+ IELs. These findings demonstrate that human small intestinal CD8+TCRγδ+ IELs may have regulatory potential in celiac disease.

Authors

Govind Bhagat, Afzal J. Naiyer, Jayesh G. Shah, Jason Harper, Bana Jabri, Timothy C. Wang, Peter H.R. Green, John S. Manavalan

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Figure 2

TCRγδ IELs can suppress the cytotoxic programming of CD3+TCRαβ IELs.

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TCRγδ IELs can suppress the cytotoxic programming of CD3+TCRαβ IELs.
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(A) Representative flow cytometry histograms showing percentage of CD3+TCRαβ+ IELs sorted from the jejunal biopsies of an ACD patient expressing intracellular (IC) IFN-γ and granzyme B and cell-surface NKG2D in the absence and presence of 25 ng/ml of rhIL-15 (top and middle rows, respectively); and in the presence of 25 ng/ml of rhIL-15 without (middle row) and after addition of sorted CD3+CD8+TCRγδ+ IELs from the same patient at a 1:1 ratio (bottom row). CD3+TCRαβ+ IELs were cultured for 36 hours prior to flow cytometric analysis. Similar results were seen with samples from GFD patients. (B) Representative flow cytometry dot plots showing percentage of CD3+TCRαβ+ IELs that express CD107a/b after 4 hours of stimulation with plate-bound anti-CD3 in the presence (lower panels) or absence (upper panels) of CD3+TCRγδ+ IELs. (C) Percentage (mean ± SEM) of CD3+TCRαβ+ IELs expressing intracellular IFN-γ and granzyme B in the presence of rhIL-15 to which CD3+CD8+TCRγδ+ IELs had been added at different TCRγδ/TCRαβ IEL ratios. (D) Percentage (mean ± SEM) of CD3+TCRαβ IELs expressing intracellular IFN-γ and granzyme B in cocultures of CD3+TCRαβ IELs and ESA+ ECs, in the presence of rhIL-15. In parallel wells, CD3+CD8+TCRγδ+ IELs or CD3+CD8–TCRγδ+ IELs were added at a 1:1 TCRγδ/TCRαβ IEL ratio (from 4 independent experiments). A statistically significant decrease (*) in the percentage of CD3+TCRαβ+ IELs expressing intracellular IFN-γ (P = 0.004) and granzyme-B (P = 0.003) was seen in wells to which CD3+CD8+TCRγδ+ IELs were added compared with wells with only CD3+TCRαβ+ IELs. No significant decrease (‡) in the percentage of CD3+TCRαβ+ IELs expressing intracellular IFN-γ (P = 0.06) and granzyme B (P = 0.06) was observed in wells to which CD3+CD8–TCRγδ+ IELs were added compared with wells with CD3+TCRαβ+ IELs only (P values determined by Wilcoxon’s signed-rank test).

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