Immunoprofiling of fresh HAM/TSP blood samples shows altered innate cell responsiveness

PLoS Negl Trop Dis. 2021 Nov 12;15(11):e0009940. doi: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0009940. eCollection 2021 Nov.

Abstract

The Human T-cell Leukemia Virus-1 (HTLV-1)-Associated Myelopathy/Tropical Spastic Paraparesis (HAM/TSP) is a devastating neurodegenerative disease with no effective treatment, which affects an increasing number of people in Brazil. Immune cells from the adaptive compartment are involved in disease manifestation but whether innate cell functions participate in disease occurrence has not been evaluated. In this study, we analyzed innate cell responses at steady state and after blood cell stimulation using an agonist of the toll-like receptor (TLR)7/8-signaling pathway in blood samples from HTLV-1-infected volunteers, including asymptomatic carriers and HAM/TSP patients. We observed a lower response of IFNα+ DCs and monocytes in HAM/TSP compared to asymptomatic carriers, as a potential consequence of corticosteroid treatments. In contrast, a higher frequency of monocytes producing MIP-1α and pDC producing IL-12 was detected in HAM/TSP blood samples, together with higher IFNγ responsiveness of NK cells, suggesting an increased sensitivity to inflammatory response in HAM/TSP patients compared to asymptomatic carriers. This sustained inflammatory responsiveness could be linked or be at the origin of the neuroinflammatory status in HAM/TSP patients. Therefore, the mechanism underlying this dysregulations could shed light onto the origins of HAM/TSP disease.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Brazil
  • Cohort Studies
  • Dendritic Cells / immunology
  • Female
  • Human T-lymphotropic virus 1 / genetics
  • Human T-lymphotropic virus 1 / physiology
  • Humans
  • Immunity, Innate*
  • Interleukin-12 / genetics
  • Interleukin-12 / immunology
  • Killer Cells, Natural / immunology
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Monocytes / immunology
  • Paraparesis, Tropical Spastic / immunology*
  • Paraparesis, Tropical Spastic / virology

Substances

  • Interleukin-12

Grants and funding

This work was supported by University of Sao Paulo and University of Lyon (Fapesp 2014/22827-7 joint program 2015, grant to HD and JC; IDEX-INT-2020-36 to HD and RGE20009CCA-GC20009-CC Joint program 2020 to JC), by Ministério da Saúde do Brasil; Fundação Faculdade de Medicina and Conselho Nacional de Pesquisa Tecnológico (CNP, Grant 301275/2019-0 to JC) by Ligue contre le cancer (Equipe labelisée program EL2013-3Mahieux to RM and HD) and Fondation pour la Recherche Médicale (programme Equipe labelisée, program DEQ20180339200. Grant to RM and HD). NF acknowledge La ligue contre le Cancer for the sponsoring of his PhD fellowship (2015-2018). BR is supported by FRM, HD and OA are supported by INSERM, RM was supported by ENS. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.