Inverse correlation between NKG2D expression on CD8+ T cells and the frequency of CD4+CD25+ regulatory T cells in patients with esophageal cancer

SUMMARY Although malignant diseases are known to be associated with immune suppression, detailed mechanisms of this phenomenon are still unknown. NKG2D is an activating cell surface receptor expressed by natural killer (NK) cells and CD8+ T cells, and it has been reported that NKG2D engagement is ex...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Diseases of the esophagus 2009-02, Vol.22 (1), p.49-54
Main Authors: Osaki, T., Saito, H., Fukumoto, Y., Yamada, Y., Fukuda, K., Tatebe, S., Tsujitani, S., Ikeguchi, M.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Aged
CD8+ T-lymphocytes
CD8-Positive T-Lymphocytes - metabolism
esophageal cancer
Esophageal Neoplasms - blood
Esophageal Neoplasms - immunology
Female
Flow Cytometry
Humans
Immunohistochemistry
Lymphatic Metastasis
Lymphocyte Count
Male
Middle Aged
Neoplasm Invasiveness
NK Cell Lectin-Like Receptor Subfamily K - biosynthesis
NK Cell Lectin-Like Receptor Subfamily K - metabolism
NKG2D
regulatory T-lymphocytes
T-Lymphocytes, Regulatory - metabolism
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:SUMMARY Although malignant diseases are known to be associated with immune suppression, detailed mechanisms of this phenomenon are still unknown. NKG2D is an activating cell surface receptor expressed by natural killer (NK) cells and CD8+ T cells, and it has been reported that NKG2D engagement is extremely important for T cell activation. In the current study, NKG2D expression on CD8+ T cells and the frequency of CD4+ CD25+ regulatory T (Treg) cells were determined by multicolor flow cytometry to investigate one of the mechanisms responsible for immune evasion in esophageal cancer patients. NKG2D expression on CD8+ T lymphocytes in esophageal cancer patients was significantly lower than in those of normal controls. NKG2D expression in T3/T4 esophageal cancer was significantly lower than that in T1/T2 esophageal cancer. CD8+ T cells from patients with lymph node metastasis expressed significantly lower NKG2D than those without lymph node metastasis. Moreover, significantly lower NKG2D expression was observed in stage III/IV cancer in comparison with stage I/II. The frequency of CD4+CD25+ Treg cells in esophageal cancer patients was significantly higher than those in normal controls. NKG2D expression on CD8+ T cells was significantly inversely correlated with the frequency of CD4+CD25+ Treg cells in esophageal cancer patients. Our data indicates that decreased NKG2D expression on CD8+ T cells is correlated with disease severity. Decreased NKG2D expression and an increase in Treg cells may be one of the key mechanisms responsible for immune evasion in esophageal cancer.
ISSN:1120-8694
1442-2050
DOI:10.1111/j.1442-2050.2008.00855.x