evaluation of soluble human leukocyte antigen-g (shla-g) isoforms and regulatory t cells in relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis

soluble forms of nonclassical human leukocyte antigen (hla)-g have recently been suggested as immunomodulatory factors in multiple sclerosis (ms). hla-g inhibits the effecter function of t cells and natural killer (nk) cells. also regulatory t cells (treg) are considered as pivotal players in ms pathogenesis. thus, we aimed to evaluate the presence of hla-g molecules and treg cells in relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (rrms) patients and compare it to healthy controls.patients with rrms (n=205, mean age=31.32±8.53) and healthy subjects (n=205, mean age=32.2±7.48) were studied. the patients subgrouped to untreated and treated with interferon  beta.  then  shla-g  levels  (shla-g1  and  shla-g5)  were measured  using elisa method. treg (cd4+cd25+  foxp3+) cells in patients who had shla-g>10 u/ml were characterized by using flow cytometry.our data showed that there was no significant differences between rrms patients and healthy controls in  shla-g concentration (p>0.05). treg cell frequencies were higher in the patients who had shla-g >10 u/ml compared to healthy subjects (p<0.05).collectively, there was significant correlation between shla-g and frequency of treg cells in treated rrms patients and healthy individuals. it seems that high level shla-g has been  instrumental  in  raising  frequency  of  treg  cells  in  treated  patients  and  could  be associated with remission of ms disease.