CCR4+ memory CD4+ T lymphocytes are increased in peripheral blood and lesional skin from patients with atopic dermatitis

2001 
Abstract Background: Recent studies have reported that T H 1 and T H 2 cells express CXCR3 and CCR4, respectively. Objective: Our goal was to assess the association of CCR4 and CXCR3 expression with T H 2 and T H 1 cells and association of CCR4 and CXCR3 expression with inflammation in patients with atopic dermatitis (AD). Methods: Intracellular cytokine production and chemokine receptor expression in blood T cells were examined by flow cytometry. Immunohistochemical expression of chemokine receptors was also investigated in chronically lesional skin. Results: CCR4 + and CXCR3 + CD4 + T cells predominantly produced IL-4 and IFN-γ, respectively. Although the frequency of CXCR3 + cells among CD4 + CD45RO + T cells was similar for patients with AD (n = 29) and healthy control subjects (n = 19), patients with severe AD (n = 14) had a reduced frequency of CXCR3 + cells. In contrast, the frequency of CCR4 + cells and the CCR4/CXCR3 ratio were higher in patients with AD (n = 22) than healthy control subjects (n = 16) and correlated with disease severity of AD. The frequency of CCR4 + cells correlated positively with eosinophil numbers and serum IgE levels, whereas the frequency of CXCR3 + cells correlated inversely with eosinophil numbers. The frequency of CCR4 + or CXCR3 + cells was similar in patients with psoriasis (n = 6) and healthy control subjects. Immunohistochemical analysis showed that the frequency of CCR4 + cells among CD4 + T cells in chronically lesional skin of patients with AD (n = 9) was higher than that of patients with psoriasis (n = 4). Conclusion: Our data suggest the association of CCR4 expression with T H 2 cells, the predominance of CCR4 + cells in blood from patients with AD, and an important role of CCR4 in the migration of T H 2 cells from blood into AD lesional skin. (J Allergy Clin Immunol 2001;107:353-8.)
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