Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2006 Dec;65(12):1558-64.
doi: 10.1136/ard.2005.050385. Epub 2006 Jun 7.

Changes in synovial tissue Jak-STAT expression in rheumatoid arthritis in response to successful DMARD treatment

J G Walker  1 , M J Ahern, M Coleman, H Weedon, V Papangelis, D Beroukas, P J Roberts-Thomson, M D Smith
Affiliations

Changes in synovial tissue Jak-STAT expression in rheumatoid arthritis in response to successful DMARD treatment

J G Walker et al. Ann Rheum Dis. 2006 Dec.

Abstract

Background: Modulation of Jak-STAT signalling may provide an effective therapeutic strategy in inflammatory arthritis (IA).

Objective: To examine the effect of successful disease-modifying antirheumatic drug (DMARD) treatment on the expression of Jak-STAT in a cohort of patients with active rheumatoid arthritis.

Methods: Synovial tissue biopsy specimens from 16 patients with active rheumatoid arthritis, taken before and after initiation of DMARD treatment, were examined for the presence of janus kinase (Jak)3, signal transducer and activator of transcription (STAT)1, STAT4 and STAT6 expression using immunohistochemistry.

Results: Successful treatment with DMARDs results in reduction in STAT1 expression in the lining, and STAT1 and STAT6 in the sublining of rheumatoid arthritis synovial tissue. Although the overall expression of STAT4 and Jak3 was not significantly altered by DMARD treatment, there was a significant reduction in the expression of the STAT4 and Jak3 bright cells, thought to be an activated dendritic cell subpopulation.

Conclusion: Results show that Jak3, STAT1, STAT4 expression and STAT6 sublining expression decrease in response to successful treatment of rheumatoid arthritis with standard DMARDs. Therefore, altering the expression of these pathways may represent an alternative treatment option, either through promoting up-regulation of inhibitory pathways, or suppressing inflammatory paths.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Competing interests: None declared.

References

    1. Weyand C M, Goronzy J J, Takemura S, Kurtin P J. Cell‐cell interaction in synovitis. Interactions between T cells and B cells in rheumatoid arthritis. Arthritis Res 20002457–463. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Firestein G. Evolving concepts of rheumatoid arthritis. Nature 2003423356–361. - PubMed
    1. Makarov S S, NF‐κΒ in rheumatoid arthritis: a pivotal regulator of inflammation, hyperplasia and tissue destruction Arthritis Res. 2001;3:200–206. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Dinarello C A, Moldawer L L.Proinflammatory and anti‐inflammatory cytokines in rheumatoid arthritis. A primer for clinicians. Thousand Oaks, CA: Amgen, 2002
    1. Gadina M, Hilton D, Johnston J A, Morinobu A, Lighvani A, Zhou Y.et al Signaling by type I and II cytokine receptors: ten years after. Curr Opinion Immunol 200113363–373. - PubMed

Publication types

MeSH terms