Abstract
Regulatory T cells (Tregs) play an essential role in acute coronary syndrome (ACS). However, there is debate about which Treg subsets are truly critical to ACS. Helios, a transcription factor, was recently reported to be a bona fide marker for natural Tregs or activated Tregs with a suppression function, but little is known about its role in ACS. We therefore examined Helios+ Tregs in patients with ACS, patients with stable angina, and control subjects. 73 patients with ACS, 30 patients with stable angina, and 48 control subjects were enrolled. The frequencies and estimated absolute numbers of different Treg subsets in peripheral blood were measured by flow cytometry. Plasma cytokine level was measured by ELISA. The mRNA expression of Foxp3 and Helios in purified CD4+ T cells was determined by RT-PCR. Helios+ Tregs was decreased significantly in patients with ACS. The frequency and estimated absolute numbers of CD4+Foxp3+Helios+ Tregs were negatively correlated with IL-6 and positively correlated with circulating level of TGF-beta1 and HDL-C. The mRNA expression of Foxp3 and Helios was decreased in CD4+ T cells from patients with ACS. In summary, Helios+ Tregs was downregulated in patients with ACS and may play a role in ACS.
Highlights
Coronary artery disease (CAD) is a leading cause of death worldwide [1]
The serum level of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) was significantly decreased in the acute coronary syndrome (ACS) group compared with the stable angina (SA) and control groups (P < 0 05)
The serum levels of creatinine kinase MB and troponin I were remarkably increased in the ACS group compared with the SA and control groups (P < 0 001)
Summary
Coronary artery disease (CAD) is a leading cause of death worldwide [1]. Immunological inflammatory responses play a pivotal role in its progression. A series of immune cells such as macrophages and monocytes and different subsets of lymphocytes participate in the chronic inflammatory response and eventually initiate the progression to acute coronary syndrome [2,3,4]. Regulatory T cells (Tregs)—an important subset of the lymphocyte population—are capable of suppressing pathogenic T cells and inflammatory responses [5], to maintain immune system homeostasis. The definition of Treg marker patterns has long been controversial. It has been regarded as the traditional CD4 +CD25+ T cell pattern discovered 30 years ago [18] or the CD4+CD25+Foxp3+ T cell pattern found later [19]. CD25 may be transiently upregulated in newly activated
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