Yonsei Med J.  1999 Apr;40(2):152-158. 10.3349/ymj.1999.40.2.152.

Behcet's disease sera containing antiendothelial cell antibodies promote adhesion of T lymphocytes to cultured human dermal microvascular endothelial cells

• Lee KH
• Chung HS
• Bang D
• Lee S

• KMID: 711629
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.3349/ymj.1999.40.2.152

Abstract

Antiendothelial cell antibodies (AECA) have been detected in the sera of patients of autoimmune diseases showing vasculitis. Using IgM-ELISA, we found AECA in 42 (56%) of 75 sera samples from patients with Behcet's disease in a previous study. All of the 15 AECA-positive sera of Behcet's disease patients had an increased expression of the intercellular cell adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1), 93.3% of the sera induced the vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 (VCAM-1), and 100% of the serum induced the E-selectin molecule on human dermal microvascular endothelial cells (HDMEC). After stimulation of HDMEC with AECA-positive sera of Behcet's disease patients, the expression of ICAM-1 and VCAM-1 on HDMEC increased significantly at 4 hours, reaching a peak at 16 hours. Expression of E-selectin was induced at 1 hour after stimulation with a peak at 4 hours and it decreased thereafter. Adherence of T lymphocytes to HDMEC increased significantly after stimulation with AECA-positive sera from Behcet's disease patients. Also, the adherence of T lymphocytes to HDMEC increased at 4 hours and returned to its normal level at 48 hours. These results show that AECA-positive sera of Behcet's disease patients are capable of activating HDMEC to promote the adherence of T lymphocytes to increase the expression of ICAM-1, VCAM-1, and E-selectin on the cell surfaces. The whole process may play an important role in the pathogenesis of vasculitis in Behcet's disease.

Keyword

Antiendothelial cell antibodies; Behcet's disease; ICAM-1; VCAM-1; E-selectin; T lymphocyte

MeSH Terms

Antibodies/physiology*
Antibodies/blood
Behcet's Syndrome/immunology
Behcet's Syndrome/blood*
Blood Physiology
Cell Adhesion/physiology
Cells, Cultured
Endothelium, Vascular/physiology*
Endothelium, Vascular/immunology*
Endothelium, Vascular/cytology
Human
Microcirculation/physiology
Skin/blood supply*
T-Lymphocytes/physiology*