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Phenotype and function of lamina propria T lymphocytes

  • T Cell Subsets
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Summary and Conclusions

Lamina propria T cells have a low expression of the CD45RA antigen and a high expression of the CD45RO antigen. This phenotype is characteristic for memory T cells (table 2). In addition, T cells in the effector compartment of the mucosa bear surface antigens which are very rarely found in other sites of the immune system. Intestinal T cells also express functional IL-2 receptors and IL-2 receptor α chain mRNA, and are able to synthesize high amounts of IL-2. However, another marker of memory T cells, CD29, is not expressed in high density in the lamina propria indicating that lamina propria T cells differ from ‘classical’ memory T cells. This is supported by functional studies in nonhuman primates infected rectally withC. trachomatis which show that lamina propria T cells do not proliferate after stimulation with antigen but rather provide helper function for immunoglobulin synthesis (table 2).

The intestinal lamina propria therefore contains highly specialized T cells which have a distinctive phenotype and are activated. Functionally these T cells can be characterized as differentiated effector lymphocytes which respond to triggering the antigen-specific T cell receptor by secreting helper factors for B cells. This concept is supported by recent studies showing that the pattern of lymphokines produced by lamina propria T cells and the responsiveness to certain lymphokines differ from those of other lymphocyte populations [25]. Lamina propria T cells thus represent a subset of memory T cells with a unique maturational state.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Medical Clinic, Department of Gastroenterology, Klinikum Steglitz, Free University of Berlin, Hindenburgdamm 30, D-W-1000, Berlin 45, (FRG)

    M. Zeitz, H. L. Schieferdecker, R. Ullrich, H. U. Jahn & E. O. Riecken

  2. Mucosal Immunity Section, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, Bethesda, Md., USA

    S. P. James

Authors
  1. M. Zeitz
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  2. H. L. Schieferdecker
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  3. R. Ullrich
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  4. H. U. Jahn
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  5. S. P. James
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  6. E. O. Riecken
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Additional information

Dedicated to professor Dr. Wolfgang Gerok, Freiburg, FRG, on the occasion of his 65th birthday.

Supported by a grant from the ‘Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft’ (Ze 188/4-2).

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Zeitz, M., Schieferdecker, H.L., Ullrich, R. et al. Phenotype and function of lamina propria T lymphocytes. Immunol Res 10, 199–206 (1991). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02919693

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