Gammadelta (γδ) T lymphocytes do not impact the development of early atherosclerosis

Hsin Yuan Cheng, Runpei Wu, Catherine C. Hedrick

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

24 Scopus citations

Abstract

Objective: Gammadelta (γδ) T cells are a subset of pro-inflammatory innate-like T lymphocytes that serve as a bridge between innate and adaptive immunity. γδ T cells are highly enriched in cholesterol compared to αβ T cells. In this study, we aimed to identify the role of γδ T cells in atherosclerosis, a cholesterol and inflammation-driven disease. Methods: We found that the percentages of γδ T cells are increased in ApoE-/- mice fed a Western diet. We generated TCRδ-/-ApoE-/- mice and fed them either rodent chow or a Western diet for ten weeks for the assessment of atherosclerosis. Results: The atherosclerotic lesion size in diet-fed TCRδ-/-ApoE-/- mice was similar to that of diet-fed ApoE-/- mice. There were no differences in cytokine production or numbers of αβ T cells in aorta of TCRδ-/-ApoE-/- mice. Plasma lipoprotein profiles were unchanged by the absence of γδ T cells. Conclusion: Our data suggest that γδ T cells do not contribute to early atherosclerotic plaque development.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)265-269
Number of pages5
JournalAtherosclerosis
Volume234
Issue number2
DOIs
StatePublished - Jun 2014
Externally publishedYes

Keywords

  • Atherosclerosis
  • Cholesterol
  • Gammadelta

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Cardiology and Cardiovascular Medicine

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