title: Increased population of high fluorescence 1F7 (CD26) antigen on T cells in synovial fluid of patients with rheumatoid arthritis.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate the activation of T cells in peripheral blood (PB) and synovial fluid (SF) of patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA).
  
  
  METHODS
  The expression of CD26 (Ta1 and 1F7) antigen on T cells was analyzed in 7 women with RA and 7 healthy control subjects by immunofluorescence.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The percentage of CD3+ CD26+ cells was significantly higher in PB of patients with RA compared with healthy subjects. The IF7+ cell population was divided into high (1F7+high cells) and low fluorescence populations (1F7+low cells), based on 1F7 antigen density. The percentage of 1F7+high cells in SF of RA was markedly increased compared with PB of patients and healthy subjects. However, RA SF contained lower percentages of whole 1F7+ cells compared with PB.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our results indicate that SF of patients with RA contains activated T cells, and suggest that T cells with high levels of CD26 antigen may preferentially migrate into the rheumatoid synovium to induce inflammation and tissue destruction.
authors.affiliation: First Department of Internal Medicine, Nagasaki University School of Medicine, Japan.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Mizokami
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Eguchi
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kawakami
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Ida
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Kawabe
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Tsukada
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Aoyagi
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Maeda
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Morimoto
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Nagataki
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001172:Arthritis, Rheumatoid / Q000276:immunology* / Q000473:pathology*; D017252:CD3 Complex / Q000032:analysis; D018819:Dipeptidyl Peptidase 4 / Q000032:analysis*; D005260:Female; D005455:Fluorescent Antibody Technique; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D013582:Synovial Fluid / Q000166:cytology*; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology*
chemical_list: D017252:CD3 Complex; D018819:Dipeptidyl Peptidase 4