Involvement of CD4+,CD57+ T cells in the disease activity of rheumatoid arthritis.
OBJECTIVE
To evaluate the relationship between the frequency of peripheral CD57+ T cells and the physical status of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients, and to perform cytokine analysis of these CD57+ T cells.


METHODS
Four-color fluorescence-activated cell sorter analysis was performed to detect both cell surface antigens and intracellular cytokines in peripheral blood leukocytes, using monoclonal antibodies against CD3, CD4, CD8, CD57, interferon-gamma (IFNgamma), and interleukin-4 (IL-4). RA patients were clinically evaluated with a modified Health Assessment Questionnaire (M-HAQ), joint score, face scale, and visual analog scale (VAS) assessing pain and disease activity.


RESULTS
There was a significant correlation between the frequency of CD4+,CD57+ T cells and erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), whereas a correlation was not found between the frequency of CD8+,CD57+ T cells and ESR. The frequency of CD4+,CD57+ T cells also showed a significant correlation with the mHAQ score, VAS, and face scale. Again, there was no significant correlation between the above-mentioned clinical scores and the frequency of CD8+,CD57+ T cells. Flow cytometric analysis of intracellular cytokines revealed that 14.5% of the CD57+ T cells produced IFNgamma, whereas only 2.8% of the CD57+ T cells produced IL-4 in RA patients.


CONCLUSIONS
Evidence showing that the frequency of CD4+,CD57+ T cells among CD3+ cells of RA patients had a significant correlation not only with ESR but also with the physical status of the patients, and that a large proportion of the CD4+,CD57+ T cells had the capacity to produce IFNgamma, strongly suggests that these CD4+,CD57+ T cells are involved in the immunopathogenesis of RA.
Maeda
Takeshi
T
Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kyushu University, Fukuoka 812-8582, Japan. maeken@ortho.med.kyushu-u.ac.jp
Yamada
Hisakata
H
Nagamine
Ryuji
R
Shuto
Toshihide
T
Nakashima
Yasuharu
Y
Hirata
Go
G
Iwamoto
Yukihide
Y
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001172:Arthritis, Rheumatoid / Q000209:etiology / Q000276:immunology*; D001799:Blood Sedimentation; D015496:CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes / Q000737:chemistry / Q000276:immunology* / Q000378:metabolism; D018959:CD57 Antigens / Q000032:analysis*; D005434:Flow Cytometry; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D007371:Interferon-gamma / Q000032:analysis / Q000096:biosynthesis; D015847:Interleukin-4 / Q000032:analysis / Q000096:biosynthesis; D008875:Middle Aged
D018959:CD57 Antigens; D015847:Interleukin-4; D007371:Interferon-gamma