Patients with ankylosing spondylitis present a distinct CD8 T cell subset with osteogenic and cytotoxic potential

Ankylosing spondylitis (AS) is a chronic inflammatory rheumatic disease affecting mainly the axial skeleton. Peripheral involvement (arthritis, enthesitis and dactylitis) and extra-musculoskeletal manifestations, including uveitis, psoriasis and bowel inflammation, occur in a relevant proportion of patients. AS is responsible for chronic and severe back pain caused by local inflammation that can lead to osteoproliferation and ultimately spinal fusion. The association of AS with the human leucocyte antigen-B27 gene, together with elevated levels of chemokines, CCL17 and CCL22, in the sera of patients with AS, led us to study the role of CCR4⁺ T cells in the disease pathogenesis.

CD8⁺CCR4⁺ T cells isolated from the blood of patients with AS (n=76) or healthy donors were analysed by multiparameter flow cytometry, and gene expression was evaluated by RNA sequencing. Patients with AS were stratified according to the therapeutic regimen and current disease score.

CD8⁺CCR4⁺ T cells display a distinct effector phenotype and upregulate the inflammatory chemokine receptors CCR1, CCR5, CX3CR1 and L-selectin CD62L, indicating an altered migration ability. CD8⁺CCR4⁺ T cells expressing CX3CR1 present an enhanced cytotoxic profile, expressing both perforin and granzyme B. RNA-sequencing pathway analysis revealed that CD8⁺CCR4⁺ T cells from patients with active disease significantly upregulate genes promoting osteogenesis, a core process in AS pathogenesis.

Our results shed light on a new molecular mechanism by which T cells may selectively migrate to inflammatory loci, promote new bone formation and contribute to the pathological ossification process observed in AS.