Abstract
Abstract: :
Purpose: To investigate if a specific immune response is implicated in granulomatous uveitis by analyzing TCRBV repertoire diversity of the accumulating T cell in aqueous humor. Methods: Five patients presented with a bilateral granulomatous uveitis were included. Intraocular inflammation was associated with systemic sarcoidosis in three cases. Aqueous humor was obtained in one eye by paracentesis under topical anesthesia at the operating room. Intraocular T cells were studied by three-color flow cytometry using anti-CD4, anti-CD8 and anti-CD28 mouse monoclonal antibodies. Analysis of TCRBV repertoire was performed using specific semi-quantitative RT-PCR assays for each TCRBV family. In two patients, the repertoire analysis was performed with purified CD4+ lymphocytes by cell sorting on a flow cytometer. In each case, ocular results were compared to those obtained in the peripheral blood collected on the same day. Results: In all patients, most cells recruited in the aqueous humor were lymphocytes expressing the CD4+ marker (Range from 50 to 79%). Almost all TCRBV families were expressed both in the peripheral blood and in the aqueous humor sample. Similar patterns, suggestive of a polyclonal repertoire, were also obtained when purified CD4+ T cells were analyzed. Comments: Analysis of the TCRBV repertoire in patients presented with granulomatous uveitis showed a diversified response, even if systemic sarcoidosis was associated. The detected pattern in the T cell repertoire do not suggest an intraocular antigen-specific recruitment at this stage of the disease.
Keywords: uveitis-clinical/animal model • inflammation • flow cytometry