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 language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 265-269 |
Number of pages | 5 |
Journal | Atherosclerosis |
Volume | 234 |
Issue number | 2 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Jun 2014 |
Externally published | Yes |
Keywords
- Atherosclerosis
- Cholesterol
- Gammadelta
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Cardiology and Cardiovascular Medicine