Lazarovits A I, White M J, Karsh J
John P. Robarts Research Institute, University Hospital, London, Ontario, Canada.
Arthritis Rheum. 1992 Jun;35(6):615-24. doi: 10.1002/art.1780350604.
Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is characterized by decreased expression of CD7 in the peripheral blood and in the synovium. The present study was designed to identify the basis for and functional consequences of this decreased expression.
Peripheral blood lymphocytes from normal controls and from patients with RA or systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), and T cell lines derived from rheumatoid synovium, were evaluated using 3-color fluorescence-activated cell sorter analysis.
Normal subjects and most SLE patients expressed homogeneous, bright CD7 on CD4+, CD45RA+ cells, whereas RA patients demonstrated a significantly increased proportion of CD7- cells. T cell lines derived from rheumatoid synovium demonstrated a striking deficiency of CD7 on CD4+, CD45RA- cells. CD4+, CD45RA+ cells from RA patients changed phenotype after in vitro activation to CD45RA negativity, with up-regulation of CD7. CD7-, CD4+, CD45RA- cells were assessed for their ability to induce pokeweed mitogen-driven IgM and IgM-rheumatoid factor synthesis, and they were found to be potent helper/inducer cells. An increased population of CD7-, CD4+ cells in peripheral blood was found to predict a low response to recall antigens.
The low expression of CD7 in RA may explain some of the immune abnormalities which may contribute to the pathogenesis of this disease.
类风湿关节炎（RA）的特征是外周血和滑膜中CD7表达降低。本研究旨在确定这种表达降低的基础及其功能后果。
使用三色荧光激活细胞分选分析评估正常对照、RA患者或系统性红斑狼疮（SLE）患者的外周血淋巴细胞，以及源自类风湿滑膜的T细胞系。
正常受试者和大多数SLE患者在CD4+、CD45RA+细胞上表达均匀、明亮的CD7，而RA患者CD7阴性细胞的比例显著增加。源自类风湿滑膜的T细胞系在CD4+、CD45RA-细胞上显示出明显的CD7缺陷。RA患者的CD4+、CD45RA+细胞在体外激活后转变为CD45RA阴性表型，同时CD7表达上调。对CD7阴性、CD4+、CD45RA-细胞诱导商陆有丝分裂原驱动的IgM和IgM类风湿因子合成的能力进行评估，发现它们是有效的辅助/诱导细胞。外周血中CD7阴性、CD4+细胞数量增加预示着对回忆抗原的反应较低。
RA中CD7的低表达可能解释了一些可能导致该疾病发病机制的免疫异常。
