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Published on: September 26, 2013
Interleukin 4 production by peripheral blood lymphocytes in patients with classical Hodgkin lymphoma
T Mainou-Fowler1, S J Proctor, P R A Taylor
1Department of Haematological Sciences, School of Clinical and Laboratory Sciences, Leech Building, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE2 4HH, UK. tryfonia.mainou-fowler@ncl.ac.uk
Insights
Patients with Hodgkin lymphoma show increased production of interleukin-4 (IL4) by peripheral blood cells. This heightened IL4 synthesis is linked to a specific T-cell subset, CD3(+)CD8(+).
Area of Science:
- Immunology
- Oncology
- Cell Biology
Background:
- Interleukin (IL) 2 and interferon (IFN) gamma production in Hodgkin lymphoma (HL) is documented.
- Interleukin-4 (IL4) synthesis in HL has not been previously investigated.
Purpose of the Study:
- To examine IL4 production by peripheral blood (PB) cells in HL patients.
- To correlate IL4 levels with T-cell sub-populations in HL.
Main Methods:
- Stimulation of PB cells with phytohaemaglutinin (PHA) for 2 days.
- Quantification of IL4 levels and analysis of T-cell sub-populations (CD3(+)CD4(+) and CD3(+)CD8(+)).
- Flow cytometry used to assess cytoplasmic IL4 intensity (relative median fluorescence - RMF).
Main Results:
- Significantly increased mean IL4 production in HL patients compared to controls.
- Increased IL4 levels correlated with the proportion of CD3(+)CD8(+) cells, not CD3(+)CD4(+) cells.
- Higher cytoplasmic IL4 intensity in CD3(+)CD8(+) cells of HL patients.
Conclusions:
- Hodgkin lymphoma is associated with increased IL4 production by PHA-activated PB lymphocytes.
- The CD3(+)CD8(+) T-cell population is identified as the likely source of increased IL4 synthesis in HL.
Abstract:
Although the production of interleukin (IL) 2 and interferon (IFN) gamma by peripheral blood lymphocytes in patients with Hodgkin lymphoma (HL) is well documented, the synthesis of IL4 has not been investigated before. The present study examines the production of IL4 by 2-day phytohaemaglutinin (PHA)-stimulated peripheral blood (PB) cells in HL and correlates the cytokine levels with the proportion of the different T-cell sub-populations. We observed a significant increase in the mean level of production of IL4 in patients with HL when compared with normal controls. The increased amount of IL4 in patients with HL correlated significantly with the proportion of the CD3(+)CD8(+) cells but not with CD3(+)CD4(+). The intensity of cytoplasmic IL4 (expressed as relative median fluorescence (RMF)) was significantly higher in the CD3(+)CD8(+) cells of the patients with HL compared with the CD3(+)CD4(+) sub-population, or with the normal CD3(+)CD8(+) cells and correlated with the levels of IL4 release in culture supernatants. In conclusion, there is increased production of IL4 by PHA-activated PB lymphocytes in HL. The CD3(+)CD8(+) T-cell population appears to be responsible for this increased synthesis.
