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Increased population of CD4(+)CD25(high), regulatory T cells with their higher apoptotic and proliferating status in peripheral blood of acute myeloid leukemia patients.

Wang X, Zheng J, Liu J, Yao J, He Y, Li X, Yu J, Yang J, Liu Z, Huang S

Center for Stem Cell Research and Application, Institute of Hematology, Union Hospital of Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China.

PURPOSE: Regulatory T cells (T-reg) that control harmful autoimmune T cells in the periphery may also suppress the immune response against cancer. In this study we investigated the possible involvement of CD4(+)CD25(high) T-reg in the immune impairment of patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML). EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN: The frequencies and phenotypes of CD4(+)CD25(high) T cells in the peripheral blood of AML patients were determined by flow cytometry. To assess the functional activity of CD4(+)CD25(high) T cells, CD4(+)CD25(high), and CD4(+)CD25(-) T cells were sorted from peripheral blood mononuclear cells with FACS Vantage. The immunoregulatory properties of CD4(+)CD25(high) and CD4(+)CD25(-) T cells were characterized by proliferation assays and cytokine production assays. In addition, the frequency of apoptotic and proliferating cells in CD4(+)CD25(high) T cells were respectively evaluated by 7AAD and ki67 binding cells using flow cytometry. RESULTS: Compared with healthy controls, AML patients had a higher proportion of CD4(+)CD25(high) T cells in peripheral blood. These cells were CD45-RA(-), CD69(-), CD45-RO(+), CD95(+), and intercellular CTLA-4(+), and secreted low levels of TNF-alpha and IL-10, but no IL-2, IL-4, IL-5, and IFN-gamma. They inhibited the proliferation and cytokine production (IL-2, IFN-gamma) of CD4(+)CD25(-) T cells, but improved IL-10 production under the co-culture of both subsets with stimulation, thus behaving as T-reg. Notably, CD4(+)CD25(high) T cells in AML patients presented significantly higher apoptosis and proliferation than that of healthy individuals. CONCLUSIONS: The frequency of CD4(+)CD25(high) T-reg in peripheral blood in AML patients is significantly higher when compared with healthy individuals, likely due to the increasing proliferation of CD4(+)CD25(high) T cells.

Published 29 November 2005 in Eur J Haematol, 75(6): 468-76.
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