title: T cells in the pathogenesis of systemic lupus erythematosus.
abstract: Recent studies in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) have demonstrated that autoantigen-reactive T cells can be isolated from peripheral blood and that such cells can support autoantibody production ex vivo, suggesting that they may have a central role in the pathogenesis of disease. In addition, recent work has identified and characterized signaling abnormalities in T cells from SLE that may be fundamental to the disease. This review will examine the role of T cells in the pathogenesis of SLE and it will consider pathogenic mechanisms by which T cells escape normal of immunological tolerance. The focus will be on recent studies characterizing autoantigen-reactive human T cells and signaling abnormalities identified in T cells from patients with SLE.
authors.affiliation: Division of Rheumatology and Immunology, Department of Medicine, University of Miami and the Miami Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Miami, FL 33136, USA. rhoffman@med.miami.edu
authors.forename: Robert W
authors.initials: RW
authors.lastname: Hoffman
mesh_terms: D017951:Antigen Presentation / Q000276:immunology; D001324:Autoantigens / Q000276:immunology; D015551:Autoimmunity / Q000276:immunology; D006801:Humans; D008180:Lupus Erythematosus, Systemic / Q000209:etiology* / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology; D015398:Signal Transduction / Q000276:immunology; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology* / Q000473:pathology
chemical_list: D001324:Autoantigens