title: Role of endothelium in the pathogenesis of rheumatoid synovitis.
abstract: The rheumatoid mononuclear cell infiltrate has a number of features of a cellular immune response. In the latter, the immunological specificity of the lymphocytic infiltrate is largely independent of the inciting antigen. Extensive investigation of the possible clonal or oligoclonal dominance of T-cell populations of the rheumatoid synovial infiltrate has demonstrated either no clonality or a dominance of T-cell populations with T-cell receptor V regions which have varied from patient group to patient group and, frequently, from patient to patient within a given group. These findings suggest that the basis for the mobilization of the synovial T-cell population is the activation state of the circulating T cells, not their immunological specificity, which makes them eligible for endothelial binding and transmigration. The specificity of the activated T cells of the circulating T-cell pool appears to be determined by the immunological history of the host.
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas 75235-9030.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ziff
mesh_terms: D000917:Antibody Formation; D000918:Antibody Specificity; D000941:Antigens / Q000097:blood / Q000276:immunology; D001172:Arthritis, Rheumatoid / Q000276:immunology*; D002455:Cell Division / Q000502:physiology; D004727:Endothelium / Q000503:physiopathology*; D006801:Humans; D013583:Synovial Membrane / Q000473:pathology; D013585:Synovitis / Q000209:etiology* / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology
chemical_list: D000941:Antigens