| Objective:Currently, more and more studies have found that the abnormal immune response exists in the development of dilated cardiomyopathy(DCM). The tissue damages caused by the abnormal activation of cellular immunity and humoral immunity promote the progression of DCM. GARP( LRRC32) is selectively expressed only in activated human Treg cells. CD4 + CD25 + GARP + Treg cells have immunosuppressive function, while the role of these cells in patients with DCM has not been studied. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to investigate the frequency of CD4+CD25+GARP+ Treg cells and the expression of GARP in patients with DCM.Methods: 52 participants who were received medical care in Wuhan Union Hospital from February 2015 to February 2016 were enrolled in the study. According to the inclusion criteria and exclusion criteria, 52 participants were divided into two groups: the DCM group(n = 26) and control group(n = 26). Real-time quantitative reverse transcription- polymerase chain reaction(RT-PCR) was used to investigate the levels of GARP and Foxp3 m RNA in PBMCs. Meanwhile the frequency of CD4+CD25+GARP+ Treg cells was determined by flow cytometry.Results: The levels of GARP and Foxp3 m RNA in peripheral blood were significantly decreased in patients with DCM compared to the control group, and the percentages of CD4 + CD25 + GARP + T cells and CD4 + CD25 + Foxp3 + T cells in the CD4 + T cell population were also significantly decreased in patients with DCM compared to the control group.Conclusion: The study demonstrated that the frequency of the circulating CD4 + CD25 + GARP + Treg cells and the expression of GARP in patients with DCM were lower than that in the normal controls. As we analyze the possible mechanisms, CD4 + CD25 + GARP + Treg cells may play a protective role in the development of DCM. The proliferation of CD4 + CD25 + GARP + Treg cells or adoptive transfer of CD4 +CD25 + GARP + Treg cells may be effective therapeutic targets for DCM in the future. |
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