Downregulation of IL-17-producing T cells is associated with regulatory T cell expansion and disease progression in chronic lymphocytic leukemia

• Published in: Tumor biology 2013-04, Vol.34 (2), p.929-940
• Main Authors: Jadidi-Niaragh, Farhad, Ghalamfarsa, Ghasem, Memarian, Ali, Asgarian-Omran, Hossein, Razavi, Seyed Mohsen, Sarrafnejad, Abdolfattah, Shokri, Fazel
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adult; Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Animals; Biomedical and Life Sciences; Biomedicine; Cancer Research; Case-Control Studies; CD4 antigen; CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes - immunology; CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes - metabolism; CD8 antigen; CD8-Positive T-Lymphocytes - immunology; CD8-Positive T-Lymphocytes - metabolism; Cell Proliferation; Chronic lymphatic leukemia; Cytokines; Data processing; Disease Progression; Down-Regulation; Female; Flow Cytometry; gamma -Interferon; GATA-3 protein; Helper cells; Humans; Immune system; Immunoregulation; Interleukin 17; Interleukin-17 - genetics; Interleukin-17 - metabolism; Leukemia; Leukemia, Lymphocytic, Chronic, B-Cell - immunology; Leukemia, Lymphocytic, Chronic, B-Cell - metabolism; Leukemia, Lymphocytic, Chronic, B-Cell - pathology; Leukocytes, Mononuclear - immunology; Leukocytes, Mononuclear - metabolism; Lymphocytes T; Male; Middle Aged; Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction; Research Article; Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; RNA, Messenger - genetics; Sheep; T-Lymphocytes, Regulatory - immunology; T-Lymphocytes, Regulatory - metabolism; Th1 Cells - immunology; Transcription factors; Tumors
• ISSN: 1010-4283; 1423-0380
• DOI: 10.1007/s13277-012-0628-4

Little is known about the immunobiology of interleukin-17 (IL-17)-producing T cells and regulatory T cells (Treg) in chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). In this study, the frequencies of Th17, Tc17, and CD39 + Treg cells were enumerated in peripheral T cells isolated from 40 CLL patients and 15 normal subjects by flow cytometry. Our results showed a lower frequency of Th17 and Tc17 cells in progressive (0.99 ± 0.12 % of total CD3 + CD4 + cells; 0.44 ± 0.09 % of total CD8 + cells) compared to indolent patients (1.57 ± 0.24 %, p  = 0.042; 0.82 ± 0.2 %, p  = 0.09) and normal subjects (1.78 ± 0.2 %, p  = 0.003; 0.71 ± 0.09 %, p  = 0.04). Decrease in IL-17-producing T cells was associated with CD39 + Treg cells expansion. Variation of IL-17-producing cells and Treg cells in indolent and progressive patients was neither associated to the expression levels of Th1- and Th2-specific transcription factors T-bet and GATA-3 nor to the frequencies of IFN-γ and IL-4-producing CD4 + T cells in a selected number of samples. Additionally, suppressive potential of CD4 + Treg was similar in CLL patients and normal subjects. Our data indicate that progression of CLL is associated with downregulation of IL-17-producing T cells and expansion of Treg cells, implying contribution of these subsets of T cells in the progression of CLL.