Research article
The expansion of CD4+CD28- T cells in patients with rheumatoid arthritis
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* Corresponding author: Andrzej Pawlik pawand@poczta.onet.pl
1 Department of Pharmacokinetics and Therapeutic Drug Monitoring, Pomeranian University of Medicine, Szczecin, Poland
2 Department of Rheumatology, Pomeranian University of Medicine, Szczecin, Poland
3 Department of Pathology, Pomeranian University of Medicine, Szczecin, Poland
Arthritis Res Ther 2003, 5:R210-R213 doi:10.1186/ar766
Published: 14 May 2003Abstract
Clonal expansion of CD4+CD28- T cells is a characteristic finding in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Expanded CD4+ clonotypes are present in the peripheral blood, infiltrate into the joints, and persist for years. CD4+CD28- T cells are oligoclonal lymphocytes that are rare in healthy individuals but are found in high percentages in patients with chronic inflammatory diseases. The size of the peripheral blood CD4+CD28- T-cell compartment was determined in 42 patients with RA and 24 healthy subjects by two-color FACS analysis. The frequency of CD4+CD28- T cells was significantly higher in RA patients than in healthy subjects. Additionally, the number of these cells was significantly higher in patients with extra-articular manifestations and advanced joint destruction than in patients with limited joint manifestations. The results suggest that the frequency of CD4+CD28- T cells may be a marker correlating with extra-articular manifestations and joint involvement.