Impaired lymph node stromal cell function during the earliest phases of rheumatoid arthritis.

ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND:Systemic autoimmunity can be present years before clinical onset of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Adaptive immunity is initiated in lymphoid tissue where lymph node stromal cells (LNSCs) regulate immune responses through their intimate connection with leucocytes. We postulate that malfunctioning of LNSCs creates a microenvironment in which normal immune responses are not properly controlled, possibly leading to autoimmune disease. In this study we established an experimental model for studying the functional capacities of human LNSCs during RA development. METHODS:Twenty-four patients with RA, 23 individuals positive for autoantibodies but without clinical disease (RA risk group) and 14 seronegative healthy control subjects underwent ultrasound-guided inguinal lymph node (LN) biops

SUBMITTER: Hahnlein JS 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5828373 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature