Quantitative and functional characteristics of intestinal-homing memory T cells: Analysis of Crohn's disease patients and healthy controls

Abstract

Circulating memory T cells can be subdivided on the basis of β7 integrin expression. The β7+ population contains cells primed in the intestine capable of homing back to the gut. We hypothesized that cytokine production by β7+ memory T cells reflects the specialized mucosal compartment in which they were primed. Flow cytometry of whole blood was used to assess numbers of β7+ (β7 hi and β7int) and β7- memory T cells and their production of Th1 and regulatory cytokines in healthy controls and Crohn's disease patients. In controls, β7+ and β7 - memory T cells displayed a similar qualitative profile of cytokine production but the β7+ population was enriched for cytokine-producing effector cells. ..