αEβ7 Integrin Identifies Subsets of Pro-Inflammatory Colonic CD4+ T Lymphocytes in Ulcerative Colitis

Abstract

αEβ7 integrin expression on human colonic CD4+ T cells was associated with increased production of pro-inflammatory Th1, Th17 and Th17/Th1 cytokines, with reduced expression of regulatory T cell-associated markers. These data suggest colonic CD4+αEβ7+ T cells are pro-inflammatory and may play a role in UC pathobiology.