Down Syndrome Research Today is a free monthly online journal that collates and summarizes the latest research about Down Syndrome, including details on education, symptoms, treatment, information.

Interferon-gamma- and interleukin-4-producing T cells in Down's syndrome.

Franciotta D, Verri A, Zardini E, Andreoni L, De Amici M, Moratti R, Nespoli L

Laboratory of Neuroimmunology, IRCCS, Foundation "Neurological Institute C. Mondino", University of Pavia, I-27100 Pavia, Italy. diego.franciotta@mondino.it

Down's syndrome (DS) associates with genetic-dependent dysregulation of the interferon (IFN) system. We used intracellular cytokine staining to analyse the percentages of IFN-gamma- and interleukin (IL)-4-producing T cells in the peripheral blood of patients with DS, individuals with mental retardation (MR), and healthy controls (HCs). The percentages of IFN-gamma-producing CD4(+) and CD8(+) T cells (IFGCs), namely Th1 (mean, 21.4+/-S.D. 1.3) and Tc1 (12.6+/-1.1), and the Th1/Th2 ratio (6.1+/-0.2) in DS were significantly higher than in MR (15.9+/-1.3, 7.9+/-0.6, 4.8+/-0.3) and in HCs (15.6+/-1.9, 7.2+/-1.1, 4.6+/-0.6). Most of the DS patients with high IFGC percentages were seropositive for anti-transglutaminase IgA. We found no correlation between sex, age, APOE genotypes, coexisting autoimmune diseases, susceptibility to infections, or degree of cognitive impairment and high IFGC percentages. This abnormality might thus contribute to immune dysfunction in DS without manifest clinical correlates.

Published 3 February 2006 in Neurosci Lett, 395(1): 67-70.
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