Increased autophagy in CD4⁺ T cells of rheumatoid arthritis patients results in T-cell hyperactivation and apoptosis resistance.

ABSTRACT: Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is an autoimmune disease hallmarked by aberrant cellular homeostasis, resulting in hyperactive CD4⁺ T cells that are more resistant to apoptosis. Both hyperactivation and resistance to apoptosis may contribute to the pathogenicity of CD4⁺ T cells in the autoimmune process. A better knowledge of the mechanisms determining such impaired homeostasis could contribute significantly to both the understanding and the treatment of the disease. Here we investigated whether autophagy, is dysregulated in CD4⁺ T cells of RA patients, resulting in disturbed T-cell homeostasis. We demonstrate that the rate of autophagy is significantly increased in CD4⁺ T cells from RA patients, and that increased autophagy is also a feature of in vit

SUBMITTER: van Loosdregt J 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5138112 | biostudies-literature | 2016 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature