Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 27, 2026

An Adoptive Transfer Model of Rheumatoid Arthritis in Mice
Published on: June 6, 2025
Defects in CTLA-4 are associated with abnormal regulatory T cell function in rheumatoid arthritis
Fabian Flores-Borja1, Elizabeth C Jury, Claudia Mauri
1Centre for Rheumatology, Division of Medicine, Windeyer Institute of Medical Sciences, University College London, London W1T 4JF, United Kingdom.
Abstract:
The ultimate goal for the treatment of autoimmunity is to restore immunological tolerance. Regulatory T cells (Treg) play a central role in immune tolerance, and Treg functional abnormalities have been identified in different autoimmune diseases, including rheumatoid arthritis (RA). We have previously shown that natural Treg from RA patients are competent at suppressing responder T cell proliferation but not cytokine production. Here, we explore the hypothesis that this Treg defect in RA is linked with abnormalities in the expression and function of CTLA-4. We demonstrate that CTLA-4 expression on Treg from RA patients was significantly reduced compared with healthy Treg and is associated with an increased rate of CTLA-4 internalization. Regulation of T cell receptor signaling by CTLA-4 was impaired in RA Treg and associated with delayed recruitment of CTLA-4 to the immunological synapse. Artificial induction of CTLA-4 expression on RA Treg restored their suppressive capacity. Furthermore, CTLA-4 blockade impaired healthy Treg suppression of T cell IFN-gamma production, but not proliferation, thereby recapitulating the unique Treg defect in RA. Our results suggest that defects in CTLA-4 could contribute to abnormal Treg function in RA and may represent a target for therapy for inducing long-lasting remission.
More Related Videos
07:39Isolation of CD4+ T-cells and Analysis of Circulating T-follicular Helper (cTfh) Cell Subsets from Peripheral Blood Using 6-color Flow Cytometry
Published on: January 7, 2019
10:10Development of Stem Cell-derived Antigen-specific Regulatory T Cells Against Autoimmunity
Published on: November 8, 2016
Related Concept Videos
T Cell Types and Functions
Th1 cells stimulate dendritic cells to express necessary co-stimulatory molecules on their surfaces for...
Inflammatory Bowel Disease III: Crohn's Disease
T Cell Activation and Clonal Selection
Naive T cells that have not yet encountered an antigen express two primary CD...
Drugs for Treatment of Crohn's Disease in IBD Using Biologic Agents: Anti-TNF
The JAK-STAT Signaling Pathway
Inflammatory Bowel Disease II: Ulcerative Colitis