Characterization of effector memory CD8+ T cells in the synovial fluid of rheumatoid arthritis. Academic Article uri icon

Overview

abstract

  • Little is known about the cellular characteristics of CD8(+) T cells in rheumatoid arthritis (RA). We addressed this by investigating whether the frequency of the CD8(+) T cell subsets and their phenotypic characteristics are altered in the peripheral blood and synovial fluid (SF) from patients with RA. In this study, CD8(+) T cells, mainly CD45RA(-) effector memory (EM) CD8(+) T cells, were increased significantly in the SF, but not in the peripheral blood from RA patients, compared with healthy controls. The synovial EM CD8(+) T cells were activated phenotypes with high levels of CD80, CD86, and PD-1, and had a proliferating signature in vivo upon Ki-67 staining, whereas the Fas-positive cells were prone to apoptosis. In addition, EM CD8(+) T cells in the SF were less cytotoxic, as they expressed less perforin and granzyme B. In particular, the proportions of synovial fluid mononuclear cells that were CCR4(+)CD8(+) T cells and IL-4-producing CD8(+) T cells (i.e., Tc2 cells) were significantly higher than those in peripheral blood mononuclear cells of patients with RA and healthy controls. In addition, the number of IL-10-producing CD8(+) suppressor T (Ts) cells increased significantly in the SF of RA patients. Especially, CD8(+) T cells were inversely correlated with disease activity. These findings strongly suggest that EM CD8(+) T cells in the SF are increased, likely because of inflammation, and they may be involved in modulating inflammation, thereby affecting the development and progression of RA.

authors

  • Cho, Bon-A
  • Sim, Jihyun
  • Park, Ji Ah
  • Kim, Hye Won
  • Yoo, Wan-Hee
  • Lee, Seung-Hyun
  • Lee, Dong-Sup
  • Kang, Jae Seung
  • Hwang, Young-Il
  • Lee, Wang Jae
  • Kang, Insoo
  • Lee, Eun Bong
  • Kim, Hang-Rae

publication date

  • February 25, 2012

Research

keywords

  • Arthritis, Rheumatoid
  • CD8-Positive T-Lymphocytes
  • Immunologic Memory
  • Synovial Fluid

Identity

Scopus Document Identifier

  • 84863986199

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

  • 10.1007/s10875-012-9674-3

PubMed ID

  • 22367266

Additional Document Info

volume

  • 32

issue

  • 4