Scott M, Stites D P, Moscicki A B
Department of Pediatrics, University of California, San Francisco, California 94143, USA.
Clin Diagn Lab Immunol. 1999 Sep;6(5):751-5. doi: 10.1128/CDLI.6.5.751-755.1999.
The host's immune response to cervical human papillomavirus (HPV) infection is poorly understood. In a longitudinal cohort of women with cervical HPV infections, defined by PCR-based HPV DNA testing, we used exfoliated cervical cells and reverse transcription-PCR to examine the cervical mucosal mRNA expression of cytokines involved in regulating cell-mediated immunity. We identified seven HPV-positive subjects who were found to have cleared their HPV infections 4 months later. In all seven, a T-helper type 1 (Th1) cytokine pattern (expression of gamma interferon and absence of interleukin-4) preceded clearance. The more variable cytokine patterns seen in HPV-negative subjects suggest that the Th1 pattern in the women with subsequent clearance was a response to the HPV infection. This contention is supported by additional cross-sectional data showing a Th1 pattern in a majority of HPV-positive women. This study establishes a feasible means for assessing local cytokine expression in the cervical milieu and demonstrates that a Th1 cytokine response is associated with subsequent clearance of cervical HPV infection.
宿主对宫颈人乳头瘤病毒（HPV）感染的免疫反应目前了解甚少。在一个通过基于PCR的HPV DNA检测定义的宫颈HPV感染女性纵向队列中，我们使用脱落的宫颈细胞和逆转录PCR来检测参与调节细胞介导免疫的细胞因子在宫颈黏膜中的mRNA表达。我们确定了7名HPV阳性受试者，发现她们在4个月后清除了HPV感染。在所有7名受试者中，1型辅助性T细胞（Th1）细胞因子模式（γ干扰素表达且白细胞介素-4缺失）先于清除出现。在HPV阴性受试者中看到的细胞因子模式更具变异性，这表明后续清除HPV的女性中的Th1模式是对HPV感染的一种反应。额外的横断面数据显示大多数HPV阳性女性存在Th1模式，这一观点得到了支持。本研究建立了一种评估宫颈环境中局部细胞因子表达的可行方法，并证明Th1细胞因子反应与宫颈HPV感染的后续清除相关。
