Increased plasmacytoid dendritic cells and RORγt‐expressing immune effectors in cutaneous acute graft‐versus‐host disease

[摘要] TheroleofPDCsandTh17cellsisnotwellunderstoodinthepathogenesisofaGVHD.WeevaluatedPDCandTh17cellsinskinbiopsiesof38patientsatdiagnosisofaGVHD.ThebiopsiesweretestedbyimmunohistochemistryfortheexpressionofBDCA2,atypicalmarkerofPDCs.WefoundanincreaseofBDCA2+cellsintheskinofthepatientswithaGVHD.Moreover,weobservedastrongexpressionofthetypeIIFN‐inducibleproteinMx1intheskinofthepatientswithaGVHD,comparedwiththatofthosewithoutit,suggestingthatPDCsproducetypeIIFN.WealsoanalyzedtheexpressionoftwoTh17surfacemarkers—CD161andCCR6—andRORγt,thekeytranscriptionfactorthatorchestratesthedifferentiationofTh17cells.SignificantlyhighernumbersofRORγt+,CD161+,andCCR6+cellswerecountedintheskinofthepatientswithaGVHDthanintheskinofthosewhounderwentallo‐SCTandinwhomaGVHDdidnotdevelop.ThisstudyprovidesevidenceforaroleofTh17‐mediatedresponsesandapotentialnewpathophysiologicallinkbetweenPDCsandTh17inhumancutaneousaGVHD...

[学科分类] 生理学

[关键词] allogeneic stem cell transplantation;Th17 cells;Type I Interferon