title: Expression and functional expansion of fibroblast growth factor receptor T cells in rheumatoid synovium and peripheral blood of patients with rheumatoid arthritis.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is an inflammatory disorder of the diarthroidial joints, characterized by fibroblast proliferation, angiogenesis, and perivascular CD4+ T cell infiltration. The present study examined the interactions between fibroblast growth factor-1 (FGF-1) and T cells.
  
  
  METHODS
  Synovial tissues from patients with RA or noninflammatory arthritis were examined for the expression of FGF-1 and its receptor, FGFR-1, by immunohistology and reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction. Functional assays were used to detect enrichment of FGF-1-responsive peripheral CD4+ T cells in RA.
  
  
  RESULTS
  FGF-1 is abundantly expressed by rheumatoid synovium. Enhanced expression of its receptor, FGFR-1, was found in perivascular CD4+ T cells. In addition, T cells that are activated by FGF-1 are increased in the peripheral blood of patients with RA, as compared with other inflammatory conditions.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The increased frequency of peripheral T cells that respond to FGF-1 in RA is consistent with expansion of FGFR-1-expressing T cells in the rheumatoid synovium.
authors.affiliation: Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN 37232, USA.
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Byrd
authors.forename: X M
authors.initials: XM
authors.lastname: Zhao
authors.forename: W L
authors.initials: WL
authors.lastname: McKeehan
authors.forename: G G
authors.initials: GG
authors.lastname: Miller
authors.forename: J W
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Thomas
mesh_terms: D001172:Arthritis, Rheumatoid / Q000097:blood / Q000378:metabolism*; D001483:Base Sequence; D015496:CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes / Q000378:metabolism; D005346:Fibroblast Growth Factors / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D020794:Receptor Protein-Tyrosine Kinases; D051496:Receptor, Fibroblast Growth Factor, Type 1; D017468:Receptors, Fibroblast Growth Factor / Q000378:metabolism*; D013583:Synovial Membrane / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D017468:Receptors, Fibroblast Growth Factor; D005346:Fibroblast Growth Factors; C496348:FGFR1 protein, human; D020794:Receptor Protein-Tyrosine Kinases; D051496:Receptor, Fibroblast Growth Factor, Type 1