Human helper and memory lymphocytes exhibit an inducible elastin-laminin receptor.

We showed recently that human activated lymphocytes express the elastin-laminin receptor. In this study, we were interested in the kinetics of the induction of this receptor on human activated lymphocytes in vitro and in the quantification of its expression on different human lymphocyte subsets. It appears that the expression of the elastin-laminin receptor is a general property of most activated human lymphocytes but strongly dependent on the lymphocyte subsets. It appeared that the helper (CD4+) and memory (CD45RO+) lymphocytes exhibited the strongest increase of elastin-laminin receptor expression when cultured for 72 h in the presence of 2 microg/ml elastin peptides (2.7x10[-8] M) as compared to control cells. Activation of this receptor by elastin peptides triggers the stimulation of biosynthesis and release of a PMN-like elastase. Activated T lymphocytes (mostly helper and memory T cells) are present from early stages of the atherosclerotic process and this release could contribute to the progression of the lesion by engaging a vicious circle with more elastin peptides released attracting more mononuclear cells and increasing their elastase production.