Increased Frequency of CD4⁺ Follicular Helper T and CD8⁺ Follicular T Cells in Human Lymph Node Biopsies during the Earliest Stages of Rheumatoid Arthritis.

ABSTRACT: Follicular T helper cells (Tfh cells) provide key B-cell help and are essential in germinal center formation and (auto) antibody generation. To gain more insight into their role during the earliest phase of rheumatoid arthritis (RA), we analyzed their frequencies, phenotypes, and cytokine profiles in peripheral blood and lymph node biopsies of healthy controls (HCs), autoantibody-positive individuals at risk for developing RA (RA-risk individuals), and early RA patients. Subsequently, we confirmed their presence in lymph nodes and synovial tissue of RA patients using immunofluorescence microscopy. In the blood, the frequency of Tfh cells did not differ between study groups. In lymphoid and synovial tissues, Tfh cells were localized in B-cell areas, and their frequency correlated with the f

SUBMITTER: Anang DC 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8997933 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature