Defective proliferative response of T lymphocytes from patients with inactive systemic lupus erythematosus

Abstract

Objective: To further define the pattern of alterations in the activation and apoptosis of T lymphocytes in patients with inactive systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) through analysis of a large series of individuals.

Methods: We isolated CD2+ peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBL) from 41 patients with inactive SLE and analyzed their proliferative and apoptotic responses to polyclonal activation.

Results: In 19 of 41 (47%) patients, a low proliferative response to polyclonal mitogens was found. This defective response was inversely associated with an increased apoptotic response and increased expression of CD95 and CD45RO antigens.

Conclusion: We found that 2 groups of patients with inactive disease can be defined according to the functional behavior of their T lymphocytes, as defined by the proliferative and apoptotic responses to mitogenic signals.