サルコイドーシス患者肺胞リンパ球のInterleukin-2 receptor α(IL-2R α) mRAの発現に関する研究

T-lymphocytosis was detected in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid of patients with sarcoidosis. To clarify the mechanism of this phenomenon, interleukin-2 receptor(IL-2R) α gene expres-sion of lymphocytes recovered from bronchoalveolar lavage fluid was investigated in 8 patients with sarcoidosis and 5 healthy individuals, using reverse transcription polymerase chain reactin (RT-PCR). Cytoplasmic RNA derived from alveolar lymphocytes was reverse transcribed by RAV-2 reverse transcriptase to cDNA. The cDNA produced by reverse transcription was subjected to PCR. The primers of IL-2R α were utilized and a template derived from IL-2R mRNA was amplified by PCR. Southern blot analysis using 32P labeled cDNA probe for IL-2R α was performed followed by PCR. The intensities of IL-2R mRNA expression in Southern blot analysis were closely correlated to the cell numbers determined in RT-PCR. All patients with sarcoidosis had higher expression of IL-2R α mRNA transcript in alveolar lymphoctes compared with healty with healthy individuals. Moreover, the expression increased after stimulation by Propionibacterium acnes in 5 of 6 patents with sarcoidosis. These findings suggest that alvalar T-lymphocytes in the patients with sarcoidosis were actiated and played a central role in the pathogenesis of sarcoidosis.

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