Frontiers in Immunology (Aug 2019)

Loss of Circulating CD8+ CD161high T Cells in Primary Progressive Multiple Sclerosis

  • Massimo Acquaviva,
  • Claudia Bassani,
  • Nicole Sarno,
  • Gloria Dalla Costa,
  • Marzia Romeo,
  • Francesca Sangalli,
  • Bruno Colombo,
  • Lucia Moiola,
  • Vittorio Martinelli,
  • Giancarlo Comi,
  • Cinthia Farina

DOI
https://doi.org/10.3389/fimmu.2019.01922
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 10

Abstract

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Recent evidence suggests that the primary progressive form of multiple sclerosis (PP-MS) may present with specific immunological alterations. In this study we focused our attention on CD161, an NK and T cell marker upregulated in relapsing-remitting MS, and investigated its transcript and protein levels in blood cells from PP-MS and healthy individuals. We demonstrated transcriptional downregulation of CD161 in PP-MS and described concomitant mRNA reduction for RORgt, CCR6, CXCR6, KLRK1/NKG2D and many other markers typical of mucosa associated invariant T (MAIT) cells. Targeted multiparametric flow cytometry on fresh blood cells from an independent cohort of case-control subjects confirmed the selective loss of circulating CD8 CD161high T cells, which consist mainly of MAIT cells, and not of CD8 CD161int T cells in PP-MS. These data demonstrate alterations in a specific circulating immune cell subset in MS patients with progressive onset.

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