Altered signaling triggered by ligation of the TCR/CD3 receptor in T lymphocytes from patients with systemic lupus erythematosus: the road from anergy to autoimmunity

Abstract

Some of the signaling phenotypic abnormalities observed in peripheral blood T cells from patients with systemic lupus erythematosus resemble those seen in cells anergized by stimulation through the TCR/CD3 complex, in the absence of costimulatory signals, or by stimulation with altered ligands. The potential association of this "anergic" phenotype and the triggering of autoimmune responses in human lupus is discussed.