Lack of functionally active Melan-A26-35-specific T cells in the blood of HLA-A2+ vitiligo patients

Sylvia Adams, Michelle A. Lowes, David W. O'Neill, Stephen Schachterle, Pedro Romero, Nina Bhardwaj

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

5 Scopus citations

Abstract

Vitiligo, a skin disorder characterized by the spontaneous destruction of melanocytes, is believed to be of autoimmune origin. We investigated the presence and functionality of CD8+ T-cells specific for the melanocyte-associated antigens Melan-A, gp100, tyrosinase, and TRP-2 in the blood of HLA-A2+ vitiligo patients. We enumerated antigen-specific CD8+ T cells by major histocompatibility complex multimer staining directly ex vivo, as well as after 9 days of in vitro stimulation and assessed IFN-γ secretion by enzyme-linked immunospot (Elispot) assay. Tyrosinase-, gp100-, or TRP-2-specific CD8+ T cells could not be identified in the peripheral blood of individuals with vitiligo. Although Melan-A-specific T cells were detectable at levels comparable to Flu-MP-specific T cells by multimer staining, these lymphocytes did not express the skin-homing receptor cutaneous lymphocyte antigen, were phenotypically naïve (CD45RA +), and were unresponsive in the IFN-γ Elispot assay, suggesting that they are unlikely to be involved in the etiopathogenesis of vitiligo.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)1977-1980
Number of pages4
JournalJournal of Investigative Dermatology
Volume128
Issue number8
DOIs
StatePublished - Aug 2008
Externally publishedYes

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Biochemistry
  • Molecular Biology
  • Dermatology
  • Cell Biology

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