Escherichiacoli-Specific CD4+ T Cells Have Public T-Cell Receptors and Low Interleukin 10 Production in Crohn's Disease.

ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND & AIMS:Crohn's disease (CD) likely represents decreased immune tolerance to intestinal bacterial antigens. Most CD patients have high titers of antibodies to intestinal commensal proteins, including the outer membrane porin C (OmpC) of Escherichia coli. METHODS:By using major histocompatibility complex II tetramers, we identified an HLA-DRB1?15:01-restricted peptide epitope of OmpC recognized by CD4+ T cells in peripheral blood mononuclear cells from HLA-DRB1?15:01+ healthy control (HC) and CD patients. RESULTS:The precursor frequency of these cells in CD correlated with anti-OmpC IgA titers, but did not differ from that of HCs. In both cohorts, they showed a CD161+, integrin ?4?7+ phenotype ex vivo by flow cytometry, distinct from the C-X-C Motif Chemokine Receptor 3 phenotype of autologous influenza hemagglutinin (Flu) peptide-specific T cells. The T-cell receptor ? and ? chains of in vitro-expanded OmpC-specific T-cell clones often contained public amino acid sequences that were identical in cells from different patients. Expanded T-cell clones from CD subjects produced significantly less interleukin (IL)10 (P < .0001) than those from HCs, and a trend toward decreased production of the T helper 2 cell-associated IL4, IL5, and IL13 by CD clones also was seen. CONCLUSIONS:Both HCs and CD patients have detectable OmpC-specific T cells in circulation, with similar immunophenotypes and often identical T-cell-receptor sequences. However, expanded clones from patients with CD produce less of the immunoregulatory cytokine IL10, showing a selective defect in the regulatory function of intestinal microbial antigen-specific T cells in patients with CD.

SUBMITTER: Uchida AM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7385044 | biostudies-literature | 2020

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature