부산대학교 도서관

Intestinal lamina propria T cells are believed to be derived, via the systemic circulation, from gut-associated lymphoid tissue. After migration into the lamina propria, T cells are capable of luminally directed migration following the loss of surface epithelial cells. For adhesion and migration within the extracellular matrix, T cells are likely to utilize the integrin family of adhesion molecules. The aim of this study was to quantitatively and qualitatively investigate the expression of α5 and α6 integrin subunits on the surface of human T cells that: (a) migrated out of the lamina propria, (b) remained resident within the matrix and (c) were present in the circulation. In both subpopulations of CD4 and CD8-positive T cells, from both normal and inflamed (inflammatory bowel disease) colonic mucosa, there were significantly fewer α5 and α6-positive cells than in the peripheral blood. In addition, there were significantly fewer α6 integrin molecules on the surface of CD4 and CD8-positive lamina propria T-cell subpopulations, compared with those in the circulation. Our studies suggest that, following migration into the lamina propria, there is down-regulation of α5 and α6 integrin-subunit expression on the surface of T cells. Molecules other than members of very late activation antigen-5 (VLA-5) (α5β1) and VLA-6 (α6β1) families of adhesion molecules are likely to be important in interactions with extracellular components in the lamina propria of normal and inflamed human colonic mucosa. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]