Reduction of CXC Chemokine Receptor 3 in an In Vitro Model of Continuous Exposure to Asbestos in a Human T-Cell Line, MT-2

Because patients with silicosis who are chronically exposed to silica particles develop not only pulmonary fibrosis, but also complications involving autoimmune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis and systemic sclerosis, exposure to asbestos may affect the human immune system. This immunologic effect may impair antitumor immune function because cancer complications such as lung cancer and malignant mesothelioma are found in patients exposed to asbestos. To elucidate the antitumor immune status caused by CD4+ T cells exposed to asbestos, an in vitro T-cell model of long-term and low-level exposure to chrysotile asbestos was established from a human adult T-cell leukemia virus–1–immortalized human polyclonal T cell line, MT-2, and the resulting six sublines showed resistance to asbestos-induced apoptosis after more than 8 months of continuous exposure. The results of DNA microarray analysis showed that the expression of 139 genes was altered by long-term and low-level exposure to asbestos, and the profile...