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High-affinity interleukin-2 receptors on blood lymphocytes are decreased during active rheumatoid arthritis
1Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research, Royal Melbourne Hospital, Parkville, Victoria, Australia.
Arthritis and Rheumatism
|September 1, 1988
Abstract:
The expression of receptors for interleukin-2 (IL-2R) was examined in patients with active or inactive rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and in control subjects. Unstimulated blood lymphocytes from patients with active RA had increased levels of total IL-2R, as measured by Tac-positive cells, compared with the levels found in the other 2 groups. Mitogen-stimulated cells from patients with active RA expressed less IL-2R per cell, but the most striking feature was the failure to express high-affinity IL-2R. These changes could reflect persistent antigenic stimulation and explain the defective cell-mediated immunity in RA patients.