title: Increase of CD57+ T cells in knee joints and adjacent bone marrow of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients: implication for an anti-inflammatory role.
abstract: The distribution of CD57+ T and CD56+ T cells in patients with RA was examined. In control osteoarthritis patients, these cells exist as a minor population in the peripheral blood. Our data show that in patients with RA, CD57+ T cell levels are elevated in peripheral blood, knee joint fluid, knee synovial membrane and bone marrow (BM), compared with peripheral blood of controls. CD57+ T cells are especially high in knee joint fluid and joint-adjacent BM, while CD56+ T cells show no such increase. CD57+ T cells contain a major population of CD8+ cells and higher proportions of CD4-8- cells and gammadelta T cells than do CD57- T cells. CD57+ T cells in peripheral blood and joint fluid increase with the duration of disease. Erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) is inversely correlated with the proportion of CD57+ T cells in the joint fluid. Although RA frequently occurs in patients with CD3+57+ cell leukaemia, and some CD57+ T cells are likely to be involved in the onset of RA, we suggest that CD57+ T cells may rather suppress inflammation of RA, and other cellular components (e.g. granulocytes) may govern the severity of the inflammation of RA. These CD57+ T cells are probably generated extrathymically in the adjacent BM or joint space.
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Niigata University School of Medicine, Japan.
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Arai
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Yamamura
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Seki
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Hanyu
authors.forename: H E
authors.initials: HE
authors.lastname: Takahashi
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Abo
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001172:Arthritis, Rheumatoid / Q000097:blood / Q000276:immunology* / Q000473:pathology; D001853:Bone Marrow / Q000276:immunology* / Q000473:pathology; D016516:CD4-CD8 Ratio; D019002:CD56 Antigen / Q000276:immunology; D018959:CD57 Antigens / Q000276:immunology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007719:Knee Joint / Q000276:immunology* / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016692:Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell, gamma-delta / Q000276:immunology; D013582:Synovial Fluid / Q000276:immunology; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology*
chemical_list: D019002:CD56 Antigen; D018959:CD57 Antigens; D016692:Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell, gamma-delta