Clonal heterogeneity of synovial fluid T lymphocytes in inflammatory synovitis

Yang Lu*, Byung S. Kim, Richard M. Pope

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

5 Scopus citations

Abstract

Several studies have examined patients with rheumatoid arthritis for the presence of oligoclonal populations of synovial T lymphocytes. The results of these studies have been conflicting. In this study one patient with rheumatoid arthritis and two with other forms of inflammatory synovitis were examined by Southern blot analysis of T cell clones generated from synovial fluid by primary limiting dilution. Evidence of oligoclonality was documented only in a patient with psoriatic arthritis. The distinguishing characteristics of this patient, in addition to the diagnosis, included the fact that only one joint was involved, the synovitis in the affected joint was of recent onset, and the synovial fluid lymphocytes from which the T cells were cloned responded strongly to soluble antigens. Because of the association with the strong response to soluble antigens, synovial fluid T lymphocytes from another patient with rheumatoid arthritis were cloned in response to a crude mycobacterial antigenic mixture. Three of the seven clones examined were identical by Southern blot analysis. These observations suggest that the presence of oligoclonality is limited in patients with inflammatory arthritis. The relationship of a specific antigen-driven response within the joint to the detection of oligoclonal T cells within that joint remains to be determined.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)28-33
Number of pages6
JournalClinical Immunology and Immunopathology
Volume63
Issue number1
DOIs
StatePublished - Apr 1992

Funding

The authors thank Drs. Frank Schmid and Rowland Chang for allowing us to examine their patients. This work was supported in part by a Multipurpose Arthritis Center Grant (AR306921, The VA Research Service, and the Illinois Chapter of the Arthritis Foundation.

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Immunology and Allergy
  • Pathology and Forensic Medicine
  • Immunology

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