Interleukin-9-secreting CD4+ T cells regulates CD8+ T cells cytotoxicity in patients with acute coronary syndromes.

Gang, Hongsheng; Peng, Dingfeng; Hu, Yongjun; Tang, Shaoyong; Li, Songhai; Huang, Qing

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE T cells play vital roles in the development and progression of acute coronary syndromes (ACS), including cytotoxicity mediated by CD8+ T cells and immunoregulatory activity mediated by CD4+ T cells. Interleukin (IL)-9 secreting CD4+ T cells (Th9 cells) were recently found to be involved in the onset of ACS. PATIENTS AND METHODS we investigated regulatory role of Th9 cells to CD8+ T cells in patients with stable angina pectoris, unstable angina pectoris, and acute myocardial infarction (AMI). RESULTS Circulating Th9 cells percentage, plasma IL-9 level, and PU.1 mRNA relative level was up-regulated in AMI patients compared with controls. There was no significant difference of IL-9 secreting CD8+ T cells percentage among groups. CD8+ T cells from AMI patients revealed increased cytotoxicity than those from controls, which presented as enhanced cytotolytic activity to target cells, increased interferon-γ and tumor necrosis factor-α secretion, elevated perforin and granzyme B production, reduced programmed death-1 and cytotoxic T lymphocyte-associated protein 4. IL-9 stimulation did not affect proliferation, but promoted CD8+ T cell cytotoxicity from both controls and AMI patients. IL-9-secreting CD4+ T cells were enriched in CD4+ CCR4- CCR6- CXCR3- cells. The enhancement of CD8+ T cell cytotoxicity induced by CD4+ CCR4- CCR6- CXCR3- cells was dependent on IL-9 secretion. INTERPRETATION The present results indicated that up-regulation of IL-9-secreting CD4+ T cells may contribute to pathogenesis of AMI through enhancement of CD8+ T cell cytotoxicity.