Immunoregulatory properties of T‐cell lines derived from the systemic and intrathecal compartments: A phenotypic and functional study

Abstract

To determine whether immune regulation can differ within the intrathecal and systemic compartments, we compared phenotypic markers and functional properties of in vitro anti-CD3 monoclonal antibody-stimulated, interleukin 2-expanded lymphoid cell lines simultaneously derived from peripheral blood and cerebrospinal fluid of individual donors (n = 9). We found that the proportions of total CD8+ T cells and of the putative CD8+ suppressor effector subset (CD28-) were lower in the cell lines derived from cerebrospinal fluid compared with cultures derived from peripheral blood (p less than 0.025 and p less than 0.005, respectively; paired t test), whereas the total CD4+ T-cell proportion was higher (p less than 0.025). For a donor subgroup with "normal" peripheral blood cell-mediated activated suppressor function (63 +/- 2%), mean suppressor cell function mediated by unfractionated or CD8(+)-enriched cells derived from cerebrospinal fluid was significantly lower (38 +/- 7%; p less than 0.01, paired t test). For a donor subgroup with "low" peripheral blood cell-mediated suppression (-1 +/- 10%), suppression mediated by cerebrospinal fluid cells was also "low" (9 +/- 12%). Our results support the postulate that the immune response may be differentially regulated between the central nervous system and peripheral blood compartments.