title: T-cell antigen receptors in rheumatoid arthritis.
abstract: Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a systemic disease of unknown etiology characterized by chronic inflammation mainly in the joints. Several lines of evidence suggest that T cells are involved in the pathogenesis of the disease. RA is associated with certain HLA-DR alleles. Studies analyzing T-cell receptor transcripts in RA have found biased or preferential usage of certain V alpha and/or V beta gene segments by T cells infiltrating the synovial membrane or extravasating into the synovial fluid compared to peripheral blood. In certain patients few T-cell antigen receptor (TCR) clones dominated the infiltrating T cells, suggesting that T cells from the synovial membrane or the synovial fluid comprise oligoclonal populations of T cells. However, other studies have found a polyclonal population of T cells. In interpreting these results the phase of the disease (early vs. late RA), the source of T cells and the limitations of the methods used in these studies should be taken into consideration. However, it appears that synovial T cells comprise oligoclonal populations of T cells and that there is a bias towards particular TCR gene segments, although a specific TCR gene segment in RA has not emerged.
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Temple University School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA 19140, USA.
authors.forename: L I
authors.initials: LI
authors.lastname: Sakkas
authors.forename: P F
authors.initials: PF
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: C D
authors.initials: CD
authors.lastname: Platsoucas
mesh_terms: D001172:Arthritis, Rheumatoid / Q000276:immunology*; D001483:Base Sequence; D002460:Cell Line; D006801:Humans; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D011110:Polymorphism, Genetic / Q000235:genetics; D011948:Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell / Q000235:genetics* / Q000276:immunology*; D013582:Synovial Fluid / Q000276:immunology; D013583:Synovial Membrane / Q000276:immunology; D014158:Transcription, Genetic / Q000235:genetics
chemical_list: D011948:Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell