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Identification and Characterization of Herpes Simplex Virus‐Specific CD4 + T Cells in Corneas of Herpetic Stromal Keratitis Patients

1998; Oxford University Press; Volume: 177; Issue: 2 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1086/517382

1537-6613

Georges M. G. M. Verjans, Lies Remeijer, Robert S. van Binnendijk, José G. C. Cornelissen, H. J. M. Völker-Dieben, Seerp Baarsma, Albert D. M. E. Osterhaus,

Immunotherapy and Immune Responses

Herpetic stromal keratitis (HSK) is a corneal disease initiated by a herpes simplex virus (HSV) infection with a postulated T cell-mediated immunopathology. To study the antigen specificity of cornea-infiltrating T cells in HSK patients, T cells were isolated and expanded by mitogenic stimulation from corneas of 2 patients with HSV-1-mediated HSK. A substantial number of the T cell clones (TCCs) obtained from these T cell lines were HSV-specific. All HSV-specific TCCs were of the CD3+CD4+CD8− phenotype. These TCCs responded to autologous HSV-infected corneal keratocytes, which expressed HLA class II molecules following incubation with interferon-γ. Upon HSV-specific stimulation, all TCCs secreted interleukin-4, interleukin-5, and interferon-γ. The data presented suggest that HSV-specific CD4+ T cells play a role in the immunopathogenesis of HSK in humans and that corneal keratocytes may act as antigen-presenting cells in this local T cell response.