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Extended interferon-alpha therapy accelerates telomere length loss in human peripheral blood T lymphocytes.

ABSTRACT: Type I interferons have pleiotropic effects on host cells, including inhibiting telomerase in lymphocytes and antiviral activity. We tested the hypothesis that long-term interferon treatment would result in significant reduction in average telomere length in peripheral blood T lymphocytes.Using a flow cytometry-based telomere length assay on peripheral blood mononuclear cell samples from the Hepatitis-C Antiviral Long-term Treatment against Cirrhosis (HALT-C) study, we measured T cell telomere lengths at screening and at months 21 and 45 in 29 Hepatitis-C virus infected subjects. These subjects had failed to achieve a sustained virologic response following 24 weeks of pegylated-interferon-alpha plus ribavirin treatment and were subsequently randomized to either a no additional therapy group or a maintenance dose pegylated-IFN? group for an additional 3.5 years. Significant telomere loss in naïve T cells occurred in the first 21 months in the interferon-alpha group. Telomere losses were similar in both groups during the final two years. Expansion of CD8(+)CD45RA(+)CD57(+) memory T cells and an inverse correlation of alanine aminotransferase levels with naïve CD8(+) T cell telomere loss were observed in the control group but not in the interferon-alpha group. Telomere length at screening inversely correlated with Hepatitis-C viral load and body mass index.Sustained interferon-alpha treatment increased telomere loss in naïve T cells, and inhibited the accumulation of T cell memory expansions. The durability of this effect and consequences for immune senescence need to be defined.

SUBMITTER: O'Bryan JM

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3150344 | biostudies-literature | 2011

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Extended interferon-alpha therapy accelerates telomere length loss in human peripheral blood T lymphocytes.

O'Bryan Joel M JM Potts James A JA Bonkovsky Herbert L HL Mathew Anuja A Rothman Alan L AL

PloS one 20110804 8

<h4>Background</h4>Type I interferons have pleiotropic effects on host cells, including inhibiting telomerase in lymphocytes and antiviral activity. We tested the hypothesis that long-term interferon treatment would result in significant reduction in average telomere length in peripheral blood T lymphocytes.<h4>Methods/principal findings</h4>Using a flow cytometry-based telomere length assay on peripheral blood mononuclear cell samples from the Hepatitis-C Antiviral Long-term Treatment against C ...[more]

PMID: 21829595

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Project description:BACKGROUND:Pegylated-interferon alpha (PegINF?) treatment of patients with polycythemia vera (PV) and essential thrombocythemia (ET) has resulted in long-term clinical response, decreased JAK2V617F allelic burden and restoration of polyclonal hematopoiesis. The mechanisms of the beneficial effects of PegINF? are not clear, but available evidence suggests direct suppression of JAK2-mutated clone, induction of dormant stem cells to proliferation, and augmentation of an immune effect against PV and ET clones. METHODS:We analyzed the phenotype and frequency of peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBL) from PegINF? treated patients and compared them to patients treated with hydroxyurea (HU). Samples collected at various time points before and during treatment were analyzed using multicolor flow cytometry. RESULTS:We found that PegINF? increased the frequency of peripheral blood CD4+ Foxp3+ regulatory T cells (Treg). Highly suppressive Treg, characterized by co-expression of CD39 and HLA-DR, were also increased in PBL from PegINF? treated patients. We observed an augmentation of cycling CD8+ T cells, NK cells, and of poorly activated CD38+CD8+ T cells. Our results also suggest that PegINF? increased the frequency of PD-1+ CD4+ helper cells and PD-1+ CD4+ Foxp3+ Treg cells. None of these changes were present in HU treated patients. We analyzed the correlation between changes in different T cell populations in the peripheral blood with the changes in JAK2V617F allelic burden in clonal granulocytes. Augmentation of Ki-67+ Treg, HLA-DR+ CD39+ Treg, Helios+ Treg and HLA-DR+ CD38+ CD8+ T cells correlated with an increase in JAK2V617F allelic burden. We also found a positive correlation between PD-1+ Treg and JAK2V617F allelic burden; however, the number of available patients was small (n = 7). CONCLUSIONS:We report marked changes in frequencies of PBL subsets after PegINF? treatment, suggesting an immunomodulatory effect by PegINF?. Generation of a more suppressive immune response, as measured by an increase in highly suppressive Treg and poorly activated CD8+ T cells, correlated with a poor molecular response. In this study, we have not identified changes in the PBL that would indicate the presence of an effective anti-tumor response.Trial registration NCT01259856, December 7. 2010 and NCT01259817, December 6. 2010, Grant #1P01CA108671-O1A2, July 17. 2006, Sponsor: MPDRC/NIH, NCI-2012-00269, January 12. 2011 and NCI-2012-00268, January 12. 2011.

Dataset Information

Extended interferon-alpha therapy accelerates telomere length loss in human peripheral blood T lymphocytes.

Publications

Extended interferon-alpha therapy accelerates telomere length loss in human peripheral blood T lymphocytes.

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