Vasculitic neuropathy and chronic inflammatory demye-microvascular endothelial cells. In addition, expression of the costimulatory molecule CD86 was detected on vascular linating polyneuropathy (CIDP) are neuropathies tissue in patients with vasculitic neuropathy. Although characterized by a T-lymphocyte infiltrate in the macrophages were always present in all subjects, peripheral nerves. The microenvironment in which these expression of the major histocompatibility complex T cells become

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... ted, and the molecules and cells that (MHC)-like molecule CD1a by macrophages was play a role in this process are incompletely understood. restricted to biopsies from two CIDP patients and one Using immunohistochemical analysis, we studied the effect vasculitic neuropathy patient. Unexpectedly, Schwann of the presence of adhesion, costimulatory and antigencells of a single vasculitis patient strongly expressed CD1b, presenting molecules on different cell types as a a molecule involved in the presentation of self-glycolipids precondition for local T-cell activation in human sural to T cells. Schwann cells in biopsies from patients and nerve biopsies of seven patients with CIDP, three patients normal controls expressed high levels of the invariant with vasculitic neuropathy and three healthy controls. In chain, CD74, a molecule involved in the intracellular biopsies from CIDP and vasculitic neuropathy patients, sorting of MHC class II molecules. There was no evidence but not in those from healthy controls, Schwann cells for the presence of dendritic cells in sural nerve biopsies. expressed the adhesion/T-cell stimulatory molecule CD58 These findings support a model in which T-cell activation (LFA-3). The CD58 molecule was also present on can be initiated and/or perpetuated locally in sural nerve endothelial cells of all vasculitic neuropathy patients and biopsies of patients with CIDP and vasculitic neuropathy, one CIDP patient. In biopsies from normal controls and and predict an important role for Schwann cells and endothelial cells. patients, CD54 (ICAM-1) expression was detectable on