| Budget Amount *help |
¥3,400,000 (Direct Cost: ¥3,400,000)
Fiscal Year 2000: ¥500,000 (Direct Cost: ¥500,000)
Fiscal Year 1999: ¥500,000 (Direct Cost: ¥500,000)
Fiscal Year 1998: ¥2,400,000 (Direct Cost: ¥2,400,000)
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| Research Abstract |
It is widely accepted that the balance between Th1 and Th2 cells must determine the outcome of physiological and pathological immune responses, including allergic diseases. This study demonstrated that in the peripheral blood of patients with atopic dermatitis (AD) as Th2-dominated disorder the percentages of CD30+ cells within CD45RO+CD4+ T cells correlated well with the disease severity, serum IgE levels, peripheral eosinophil counts, and the tendency toward Th2-dominant cytokine pattern as determined by ratio of interleukin (IL)-4 to interferon-gamma production. Furthermore the in vivo relevance of expression of chemokine receptors on circulating T cells was investigated in patients with AD.It was found that CCR4-expressing memory CD4+ T cells in the blood were more increased in AD patients as compared with normals, whereas CXCR3-expressing memory CD4+ T cells were present in a lower frequency in AD than seen in normals. Stimulation studies combined with intracellular cytokine staining revealed that the cells capable of producing Th2 cytokines, such as IL-4, IL-5, and IL-13, were restricted to the CCR4-expressing population within memory CD4+ T cells. Concerning Th1 cytokine production, interferon-gamma producing cells resided exclusively in CXCR3-expressing memory CD4+ cells. These results suggest that CXCR3, CCR4 and CD30 appear to serve as the useful markers for identification of circulating Th1 and Th2 effector populations. Assessing the expression of these molecules in circulating T cells is a very useful, and easy method to evaluate in vivo Th1/Th2 balance.
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