Multiple abnormalities in immunoregulatory function of synovial compartment T cells in patients with rheumatoid arthritis. Recognition of a helper augmentation effect.
Analyses of the synovial tissue and fluid T lymphocytes obtained from patients with rheumatoid arthritis revealed multiple functional defects in the regulation of autologous blood B cell differentiation into cells secreting immunoglobulin. These abnormalities were not found in peripheral blood T lymphocytes from the same patients. Although the patients selected showed elevated levels of T cells expressing the T8 differentiation antigen as well as Ia antigens there was little demonstrable suppression of the blood B cell differentiation. Furthermore, the synovial T cells exhibited only minimal helper or inducer activity when tested in the same system. In contrast, patient's blood T lymphocytes gave levels of help and suppression that were not distinguishable from that of normal individuals. Co-culture experiments of blood and synovial T lymphocytes did not reveal any evidence for enhanced suppression; indeed, in most patients these co-cultures resulted in marked augmentation of helper function, a phenomenon designated "helper augmentation". These data provide evidence that rheumatoid synovial lymphocytes are characterized by marked abnormalities in immunoregulatory T cell function, including divergence of cellular activity from the immune function predicted by surface phenotype and a capacity for "helper augmentation", a novel T cell function in man.
D001172:Arthritis, Rheumatoid / Q000276:immunology*; D001402:B-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology; D000949:Histocompatibility Antigens Class II / Q000032:analysis; D006801:Humans; D007111:Immunity, Cellular; D007136:Immunoglobulins / Q000032:analysis; D013582:Synovial Fluid / Q000276:immunology*; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology*; D006377:T-Lymphocytes, Helper-Inducer / Q000276:immunology; D050378:T-Lymphocytes, Regulatory / Q000276:immunology
D000949:Histocompatibility Antigens Class II; D007136:Immunoglobulins