Kotsougiani Dimitra, Pioch Marco, Prior Birgit, Heppert Volkmar, Hänsch G Maria, Wagner Christof
Institut für Immunologie, Universität Heidelberg, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany.
Int J Inflam. 2010 Apr 22;2010:526740. doi: 10.4061/2010/526740.
T cell activation is invariably associated with virus infections, but activation of T cells is also noted, for example, in patients with persistent bacterial infections with intracellular pathogens or localised bacterial biofilms. The latter is characterised by a destructive inflammatory process. Massive infiltration of leukocytes, predominantly of polymorphonuclear neutrophils (PMNs) and of T lymphocytes, is seen. While PMN influx into sites of bacterial infection is in line with their role as "first-line defence" a role of T cells in bacterial infection has not yet been delineated. We now found evidence for activation and expansion of peripheral blood T cells and an upregulation of Toll-like receptors 1, 2, and 4 on small portions of T cells. T cells recovered from the infected site were terminally differentiated and produced interferon gamma, a cytokine known to enhance functions of phagocytic cells, leading to the conclusion that infiltrated T cells support the local immuner defence.
T细胞活化总是与病毒感染相关，但T细胞活化也见于其他情况，例如，患有细胞内病原体持续性细菌感染或局部细菌生物膜的患者。后者的特征是具有破坏性的炎症过程。可见大量白细胞浸润，主要是多形核中性粒细胞（PMN）和T淋巴细胞。虽然PMN流入细菌感染部位与其作为“一线防御”的作用相符，但T细胞在细菌感染中的作用尚未明确。我们现在发现了外周血T细胞活化和扩增以及一小部分T细胞上Toll样受体1、2和4上调的证据。从感染部位回收的T细胞已终末分化并产生γ干扰素，这是一种已知可增强吞噬细胞功能的细胞因子，由此得出结论，浸润的T细胞支持局部免疫防御。
