A LARGE QUANTITY OF CD3− CD19− CD16− LYMPHOCYTES IN MALIGNANT PLEURAL EFFUSION FROM A PATIENT WITH RECURRENT CHOLANGIO CELL CARCINOMA

• Published in: Immunological investigations 2002-01, Vol.31 (2), p.121-135
• Main Authors: Onishi, Hideya, Morisaki, Takashi, Kuga, Hirotaka, Katano, Mitsuo, Doi, Fukashi, Uchiyama, Akihiko, Sugitani, Atsushi, Wada, Junji, Chijiiwa, Kazuo, Tanaka, Masao
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Antigens, CD19 - metabolism; CD3 Complex - metabolism; Cholangiocarcinoma - immunology; Cholangiocarcinoma - therapy; Humans; Immunotherapy, Adoptive; In Vitro Techniques; Interferon-gamma - biosynthesis; Lymphocytes, Tumor-Infiltrating - immunology; Male; Middle Aged; Neoplasm Recurrence, Local - immunology; Neoplasm Recurrence, Local - therapy; Picibanil - pharmacology; Pleural Effusion, Malignant - immunology; Pleural Effusion, Malignant - therapy; Receptors, IgG - metabolism; T-Lymphocytes - immunology
• ISSN: 0882-0139; 1532-4311
• DOI: 10.1081/IMM-120004803

Tumor infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) are candidates for adoptive cellular immunotherapy. Here we report on a patient whose TILs presented unusual lymphocyte antigens. Pleural effusions were collected from a 47-year-old man with recurrent cholangio cell carcinoma and malignant effusion. Effusion- associated lymphocytes (EALs) were separated by Ficoll-Hypaque gradient, and the EAL phenotype was determined by flow cytometry. The percentage of positive cells was determined for each lymphocyte-related differentiation antigen. The percentages of CD3+, CD19+, and CD16+ lymphocyte subpopulations among EALs were 20%, 7%, and 3%, respectively. Nearly 70% of EALs were CD3− CD19− CD56− CD16−cells. The phenotypes of peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBLs) collected simultaneously from the patient's peripheral blood were CD3+ (52%), CD19+ (20%), and CD16+ (20%).When EALs were cultured in medium without pleural effusion, T cell-related antigens, but not B cell- or natural killer (NK) cell-related antigens, were newly expressed on EALs, and this expression reached a plateau after 48 h in culture. The proportions of CD3+, CD19+, and CD16+ cells were 69%, 7%, and 3%, respectively. However, when EALs were cultured in medium with pleural effusion, increased expression of T cell-related antigens was not observed; the proportions of CD3+, CD19+, and CD16+ cells were 16%, 6%, and 1%, respectively. Neither total cell numbers nor cellular viability of EALs changed significantly after in-vitro culture, suggesting that significant proliferation or death of EALs did not occur during the culture period. Co-culture of the patient's PBLs with autologous pleural effusion for 96 h did not alter the expression of lymphocyte-related antigens on the PBLs. These results indicate that expression of T cell-related antigens, but not B cell- or NK cell-related antigens, on EALs was blocked temporarily by the malignant pleural effusion. This is the first report concerning the existence of a large quantity of unclassified lymphocytes in which the T cell-related antigens were reversibly masked in the malignant pleural effusion.