Increment of Tal positive cells in peripheral blood from patients with rheumatoid arthritis.
Recently it was demonstrated that the Tal antigen is a marker for activated T cells and the population of Tal+ cells includes memory T cells. Our study was undertaken to analyze Tal+ cells in peripheral blood from patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and examine the correlation between the proportion of Tal+ cells and disease activity. Using a dual immunofluorescent method, T cell subsets were analyzed in peripheral blood from 46 patients with RA, 10 patients with osteoarthritis (OA) and 10 healthy subjects. Patients with RA had a significantly higher percentage of T cells bearing the Tal antigen than patients with OA and healthy subjects. Furthermore, the percentage of CD3+Tal+ cells in peripheral blood from patients with RA was significantly correlated with disease activity including erythrocyte sedimentation rate, morning stiffness and the Lansbury index, whereas CD3+ HLA-DR+ cells did not correlate. In serial observations in patients with RA, the percentage of CD3+ Tal+ cells decreased in accordance with the improvement of disease activity. Thus, we suggest that the percentage of Tal+ cells may be a marker of the disease activity in patients with RA.
Nakao
H
H
Department of Internal Medicine, Nagasaki University, School of Medicine, Japan.
Eguchi
K
K
Kawakami
A
A
Migita
K
K
Otsubo
T
T
Ueki
Y
Y
Shimomura
C
C
Tezuka
H
H
Matsunaga
M
M
Maeda
K
K
D000368:Aged; D000954:Antigens, Surface / Q000032:analysis*; D001172:Arthritis, Rheumatoid / Q000097:blood / Q000276:immunology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D001773:Blood Cells / Q000276:immunology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010003:Osteoarthritis / Q000097:blood / Q000276:immunology / Q000503:physiopathology; D011239:Prednisolone / Q000627:therapeutic use; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000145:classification; D018127:Tumor Necrosis Factor Receptor Superfamily, Member 7
D000954:Antigens, Surface; D018127:Tumor Necrosis Factor Receptor Superfamily, Member 7; D011239:Prednisolone