Treg lymphocytes and cutaneous viral infections
S.S. Hampras  M. Tommasino  Y. Zhao  J.L. Messina  A.R. Giuliano  N.A. Fenske  B. Cherpelis  R.S. Hesterberg  A.A. Akuffo  R.P. Amorrortu  J. Balliu  L. Vijayan  T. Gheit  P.K. Epling‐Burnette  D.E. Rollison
First published: 03 June 2019 https://doi.org/10.1111/bjd.17959
This summary relates to https://doi.org/10.1111/bjd.17429
British Journal of Dermatology, 180, 1449–1458, June 2019
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Summary
Approximately three million non‐melanoma skin cancers (NMSCs) are diagnosed worldwide each year, although this number is likely an underestimate given that these cancers are not always recorded in cancer registries. Studies have suggested that skin (cutaneous) infections with human papillomaviruses (HPV) and polyomaviruses (HPyV) may play a role in the development of some NMSC types. Suppression of the immune system is also a risk factor for NMSC. This study, from the U.S.A, aimed to understand the relationship between T‐regulatory (Treg) cells, cells which suppress immune response, and cutaneous viral infections. Blood, skin swabs and eyebrow hairs were collected from 352 patients who underwent skin cancer screening and did not have cancer detected. The researchers examined whether the skin swabs (SSW) and eyebrow hairs (EBH) contained genetic material (DNA) corresponding to 98 cutaneous HPV types (including beta HPV and gamma HPV) and 5 HPyV types. The blood samples were analyzed to determine proportions of different types of Treg cell populations in circulation (in the blood). The researchers found no association between total percent of circulating Treg cells and beta HPV or HPyV infection. However, two types of Treg cells were found at lower levels in those that had gamma HPV infection in their EBH and/or SSW. Those two types were CLA+ Treg cells (known to travel to the skin) and effector CD27‐CD45RA‐FOXP3+CD4+ Treg cells (known to become active when exposed to a foreign viral infection). The study results suggest that gamma HPV infection may stimulate Treg cells to move from circulation into the skin tissues.