title: Clonal analysis of B cells in the synovial membrane of patients with rheumatoid arthritis.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate the clonal characteristics of B cells in the synovial membranes of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients.
  
  
  METHODS
  The clonality of B cells at separate sites of the synovial membrane and other tissues from RA patients were investigated by a reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction with a VH framework 3 consensus primer and a subsequent single-strand conformation polymorphism analysis.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Several dominant bands were observed in all synovial membrane samples and some of the dominants bands were common among the 2 or 3 separate regions of each synovial sample. The persistent existence of clonal B cells was observed in metachronous synovial fluid samples.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Infiltrating B cells are oligoclonal and antigen-driven mechanisms may play a role in the generation of clonal B cells in RA synovium. The stable presence of B cell clones in synovial fluid suggests the involvement of these clones in the perpetuation of the chronic inflammation in RA.
authors.affiliation: Division of Clinical Immunology, Department of Immunobiology and Neuroscience, Medical Institute of Bioregulation, Kyushu University, Beppu, Oita, Japan. sahasu@tsurumi.beppu.kyushu-u.ac.jp
authors.forename: Satoshi
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Shiokawa
authors.forename: Naoyuki
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Matsumato
authors.forename: Junji
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Nishimura
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D001172:Arthritis, Rheumatoid / Q000235:genetics* / Q000276:immunology; D001402:B-Lymphocytes / Q000145:classification* / Q000276:immunology; D001854:Bone Marrow Cells / Q000145:classification / Q000276:immunology; D002999:Clone Cells; D004247:DNA / Q000032:analysis; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007719:Knee Joint; D007963:Leukocytes, Mononuclear / Q000145:classification / Q000276:immunology; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D018807:Polymorphism, Single-Stranded Conformational; D012313:RNA / Q000032:analysis; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D013583:Synovial Membrane / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D012313:RNA; D004247:DNA