Abnormalities of T-cell subsets in glomerulonephritis and systemic lupus erythematosus

In this study, three kinds of monoclonal antibodies directed at human T lymphocytes, produced by mouse hybridomas and termed OKT3, OKT4, and OKT8, were used in an indirect immunofluorescence assay, to analyze the distribution of peripheral T lymphocyte subsets in 41 patients with glomerulonephritis (GN) and 11 patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). As assessed by functional studies, OKT4 and OKT8 defined the helper and cytotoxic/suppressor T lymphocytes subsets, respectively, whereas OKT3 recognized all peripheral T-cells. Among GN patients, the ones presenting membranous GN (MGN), IgA disease, and lipoid nephrosis associated with segmental and focal hyalinosis (FGS) showed significant decrease of their peripheral cytotoxic/suppressive T cells. On the contrary, no significant alteration was found in the peripheral T cell distribution of patients with membranoproliferative GN (MPGN) and lipoid nephrosis associated with minimal-change GN (MCGN). Unexpectedly, there was a tendency for peripheral cytotoxic/suppressive T lymphocytes to be high in the majority of SLE patients, and only two of these subjects exhibited a relative decrease in peripheral OKT8 marked cells. The steroid therapy received by our patients might account for this discrepancy with previous reports of altered suppressor function in active SLE.