Expression of CCR2, CCR5, and CXCR3 by CD4+ T cells is stable during a 2-year longitudinal study but varies widely between individuals.

Abstract

Blockade of chemokine receptors (CKRs) has recently emerged as a possible pathway for therapeutic intervention in disease. In the present report, the expression of CCR2, CCR5, and CXCR3, associated with migration of mononuclear cells to inflamed tissue, was determined on CD4+ T cells in a 2-year longitudinal study of healthy volunteers using flow cytometry. Large interindividual variations in the expression of these receptors on CD4+ T cells were observed, whereas levels remained remarkably stable over time within subjects. The expression of CCR2, CCR5, and CXCR3 on CD4+ T cells was directly proportional to percentages of CD45RO(hi)/CD4+ T cells. In addition, highly significant associations between levels of CCR2, CCR5, and CXCR3 on CD4+ T cells were demonstrated in individual subjects, implying a common mechanism for regulating the expression of these CKRs on circulating T cells. These associations were not due to coexpression of CKRs on individual CD45RA-/CD4+ T cells. The results provide insight into the regulation of CKR expression on CD4+ T cells in vivo, and suggest that major fluctuations of CKR expression in individuals are uncommon.