Frequency of CD45RO+ subset in CD4+CD25(high) regulatory T cells associated with progression of hepatocellular carcinoma

• Published in: Cancer letters Vol. 307; no. 2; pp. 165 - 173
• Main Authors: Takata, Yoshiko, Nakamoto, Yasunari, Nakada, Akiko, Terashima, Takeshi, Arihara, Fumitaka, Kitahara, Masaaki, Kakinoki, Kaheita, Arai, Kuniaki, Yamashita, Taro, Sakai, Yoshio, Yamashita, Tatsuya, Mizukoshi, Eishiro, Kaneko, Shuichi
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Ireland 28-08-2011
• Subjects: Aged; Carcinoma, Hepatocellular - immunology; Carcinoma, Hepatocellular - pathology; Case-Control Studies; Disease Progression; Female; Humans; Leukocyte Common Antigens - immunology; Liver Neoplasms - immunology; Liver Neoplasms - pathology; Male; Middle Aged; T-Lymphocytes, Regulatory - immunology
• ISSN: 1872-7980
• DOI: 10.1016/j.canlet.2011.03.029

The purpose of this study was to assess the properties of CD4+CD25(high/low/negative) T cell subsets and analyze their relation with dendritic cells (DCs) in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). In HCC patients, the prevalence of CD45RO+ cells in CD4+CD25(high) T cells was increased and associated with higher frequencies of plasmacytoid DCs. Larger proportions of this T cell subset were detected in the patients with larger tumor burdens. These results suggest that increased frequencies of the CD45RO+ subset in CD4+CD25(high) Tregs in HCC patients may establish the immunosuppressive environment cooperatively with tolerogenic plasmacytoid DCs to promote disease progression of liver cancer.