Background: Oral lichen planus (OLP) is a chronic, T-cell-mediated inflammatory autoimmune disease. Human telomerase reverse transcriptase (hTERT), a catalytic subunit bearing the enzymatic activity of telomerase, may have a unique function in regulating the activation, proliferation, and function of T lymphocytes. The goal of this study was to investigate the expression of hTERT in CD4(+) and CD8(+) T cells from patients with OLP and its correlation with clinical parameter.
Methods: The disease severity of OLP was assessed by RAE (reticular, atrophic, erosive) scoring system. Expressions of hTERT in CD4(+) T cells and CD8(+) T cells isolated from peripheral blood of patients with OLP were detected by real-time PCR, and their correlations with clinical features were analyzed.
Results: hTERT mRNA levels in CD4(+) T cells of OLP were significantly lower than that of controls, while the levels in CD8(+) T cells showed no statistical difference. The expression of hTERT in CD4(+) T cells and CD8(+) T cells was neither associated with disease severity nor gender. CD4(+) T cells of OLP patients with the age ≤50 had markedly decreased hTERT levels compared with controls, but CD8(+) T cells did not.
Conclusions: A divergent hTERT pattern between CD4(+) and CD8(+) T cells was implicated in OLP. Decreased hTERT in CD4(+) T cells might be responsible for the immune dysfunction in OLP.
Keywords: CD4+T cells; CD8+T cells; human telomerase reverse transcriptase; oral lichen planus.
© 2015 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.