A novel thymoma-associated immunodeficiency with increased naive T cells and reduced CD247 expression
02.03.2015
Christopoulos P, Dopfer EP, Malkovsky M, Esser PR, Schaefer HE, Marx A, Kock S, Rupp N, Lorenz MR, Schwarz K, Harder J, Martin SF, Werner M, Bogdan C, Schamel WW, Fisch P.
J Immunol. 2015 Apr 1;194(7):3045-53.
We describe a new type of acquired T-cell immunodeficiency that is characterised with the accumulation of TCR?-deficient, hypo-responsive T cells and an increased susceptibility to infections. This study is based on a thymoma patient with an increase of rare ?? T cell subsets in the peripheral blood. Even though the total peripheral lymphocyte numbers were normal, the patient showed cutaneous anergy, and a decreased IL-2 and IFN-? production upon CD4(+) T-cell stimulation. The percentage of naive ?? and ?? T cells was abnormally high. To study the signalling potential of the TCR of these cells we analysed them biochemically. Interestingly, we found that the TCRs showed a partial lack of the TCR?-chain. This phenotype is also found in tumour-infiltrating T cells.
