title: High frequencies of activated B cells and T follicular helper cells are correlated with disease activity in patients with new-onset rheumatoid arthritis.
abstract: This study aimed to examine the frequency of different subsets of circulating B and T follicular helper (Tfh) cells in patients with new-onset rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and following standard therapies. Twenty-five RA patients and 15 healthy controls (HC) were recruited for characterizing the frequency of CD27⁺, immunoglobulin (Ig)D⁺, CD86⁺, CD95⁺, Toll-like receptor (TLR)-9⁺ B cells and inducible T cell co-stimulator (ICOS) and programmed death 1 (PD-1)-positive Tfh cells and the level of serum interleukin (IL)-21. The potential correlation between the frequency of different subsets of B and Tfh cells and the values of clinical measures in RA patients was analysed. In comparison with HC, significantly higher percentages of circulating IgD⁺ CD27⁻ CD19⁺ naive B, CD86⁺ CD19⁺ and CD95⁺ CD19⁺ activated B, CD3⁺ CD4⁺ CXCR5⁺, CD3⁺ CD4⁺ CXCR5⁺ ICOS⁺, CD3⁺ CD4⁺ CXCR5⁺ PD-1⁺ and CD3⁺ CD4⁺ CXCR5⁺ ICOS⁺ PD-1⁺ Tfh cells but lower IgD⁺ CD27⁺ CD19⁺ preswitch memory B cells were detected, accompanied by significantly higher levels of serum IL-21 in the RA patients. Furthermore, the percentages of CD95⁺ B cells were correlated positively with the frequency of PD-1⁺ Tfh cells, but negatively with ICOS⁺ Tfh cells. The percentages of CD86⁺ B cells and ICOS⁺ Tfh cells were correlated positively with the values of disease activity score 28 (DAS28). Following the drug therapies for 1 month, the percentages of CD86⁺ B and PD-1⁺ Tfh cells were reduced significantly in the drug-responding patients. Our data suggest that activated B and Tfh cells may contribute to the pathogenesis of RA and the frequency of activated B and Tfh cells may be used as biomarkers for evaluating the therapeutic responses of individual patients with RA.
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory for Zoonosis Research, Ministry of Education, Department of Central Laboratory, The Second part of the First Hospital, Jilin University, Changchun, China.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Shan
authors.forename: Z
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Jiang
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Feng
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Ma
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Jiang
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D015703:Antigens, CD / Q000378:metabolism; D001172:Arthritis, Rheumatoid / Q000276:immunology*; D001402:B-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology*; D054316:Biomarkers, Pharmacological / Q000378:metabolism; D018450:Disease Progression; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007072:Immunoglobulin D / Q000378:metabolism; D007156:Immunologic Memory; D016130:Immunophenotyping; D060889:Inducible T-Cell Co-Stimulator Protein / Q000378:metabolism*; D008213:Lymphocyte Activation; D016131:Lymphocyte Subsets / Q000276:immunology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D061026:Programmed Cell Death 1 Receptor / Q000378:metabolism; D006377:T-Lymphocytes, Helper-Inducer / Q000276:immunology*; D051217:Toll-Like Receptor 9 / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D015703:Antigens, CD; D054316:Biomarkers, Pharmacological; C556692:ICOS protein, human; D007072:Immunoglobulin D; D060889:Inducible T-Cell Co-Stimulator Protein; C105992:PDCD1 protein, human; D061026:Programmed Cell Death 1 Receptor; D051217:Toll-Like Receptor 9
keywords: B cells; CD86; RA; Tfh cells; therapy