Kennedy Institute of Rheumatology Division, Imperial College London, 12-13 November 2003: towards a molecular toolkit for studying lymphocyte function in inflammatory arthritis.
T lymphocytes have been implicated in the pathogenesis of inflammatory arthritis for approximately 30 years. Over that period a vast literature has described the phenotype, location and behaviour of T cells derived from patients with inflammatory rheumatological disease. The arthritiogenic roles of MHC class I and class II molecules, which present antigen to T cells, have been hotly debated. The T cell has been variously conceived as a central or peripheral (or even incidental) component in the arthritogenic response. Rapid developments in genomics and use of biological therapeutic agents coupled with recent insights in the field of T cell differentiation and immunoregulation together offer novel methods of investigating the pathogenesis of chronic inflammatory disease. A number of UK researchers, with diverse interests within the field of synovitis, met recently at the Kennedy Institute of Rheumatology. Presentations on T cell memory, cytokines of homeostasis and inflammation, unconventional behaviour of MHC molecules and immunoregulation in murine models, rheumatoid and spondyloarthritis reflected the breadth of the discussion.
Faint
Jeff
J
The University of Birmingham/MRC Centre for Immune Regulation, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK. j.m.faint@bham.ac.uk
Hall
Frances
F
D000818:Animals; D001171:Arthritis, Juvenile / Q000235:genetics; D001172:Arthritis, Rheumatoid / Q000235:genetics*; D024201:Bystander Effect / Q000235:genetics; D002454:Cell Differentiation / Q000235:genetics; D002648:Child; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D015796:HLA-B27 Antigen / Q000378:metabolism; D015395:Histocompatibility Antigens Class I / Q000235:genetics; D000949:Histocompatibility Antigens Class II / Q000235:genetics; D006801:Humans; D008213:Lymphocyte Activation / Q000235:genetics; D008214:Lymphocytes / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology*; D008264:Macrophages / Q000502:physiology; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D008811:Mice, Inbred DBA; D016513:Mice, SCID; D012219:Rheumatology; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000502:physiology
D015796:HLA-B27 Antigen; D015395:Histocompatibility Antigens Class I; D000949:Histocompatibility Antigens Class II