[Ultrastructural immunocytochemical study of lymphocyte subsets from patients with systemic lupus erythematosus and bearing tubuloreticular inclusions].

The tubuloreticular inclusions (TRI) correspond to a modification of the endoplasmic reticulum, observed in different pathological conditions, the most frequent being immune disorders. In the systemic lupus erythematosus, they are present in 2.7% to 4.4% of circulating lymphocytes in 4 patients out of 5. Using an immunogold technique, the TRI were identified only in the T lymphocytes (26/331 T lymphocytes versus 0/79 B lymphocytes, p < 0.01 Chi square) and more precisely in the T4 "Helpers" (16/218 T4 versus 0/123 T8, p < 0.01 Chi square).