Chronic inflammation and T cell zeta-chain downregulation in hemodialysis patients

Clinical and experimental data indicate a deficient immune response in hemodialysis (HD) patients. zeta-Chain phosphorylation is an early and central event in the process that follows antigen recognition by the T cell antigen receptor (TCR). T cell zeta-chain is downregulated in many chronic inflammatory states, such as cancer, autoimmune disease and chronic infection. HD is also characterized as a chronic inflammatory state. The aim of the present study was to evaluate T cell zeta-chain expression in HD patients.

Thirty-three stable HD patients and 30 healthy volunteers were enrolled into the study. T cell count, the percentage of zeta-chain-positive T cells, as well as T cell zeta-chain mean fluorescence intensity (MFI) were evaluated with flow cytometry. The inflammatory markers C-reactive protein, interleukin-6 and tumor necrosis factor-alpha were measured in the serum by means of ELISA.

All the evaluated markers of inflammation were increased in HD patients. In these patients, T cell zeta-chain MFI was decreased. CD3-epsilon MFI did not differ between the two groups indicating that among the TCR complex constituents, zeta-chain is selectively downregulated.

HD is a state of chronic inflammation. Like in other pathological chronic inflammatory conditions, T cell zeta-chain is downregulated in HD patients. Since zeta-chain plays a key role in the transduction of the signal that follows antigen recognition by the TCR, its downregulation could be responsible for the deficient cellular immune response observed in HD patients.