There is no global defect in either CD45RO+ or CD45RA+ regulatory T-cells from peripheral blood of patients with chronic rheumatoid arthritis (RA), according to a recent analysis.

The regulatory T-cells from the CD45RO+ or CD45RA+ compartments of peripheral blood from RA patients and healthy controls were analyzed for phenotype, cytokine expression, suppression of effector T-cell proliferation and cytokine production, suppression of monocyte-derived cytokine/chemokine production, and gene expression profiling.

Researchers saw no differences between the two groups in terms of:

• regulatory T-cell frequency;

• ex vivo phenotype; or

• pro-inflammatory cytokine profile

FOXP3 expression was slightly increased in regulatory T-cells in RA patients. Also, CD45RO+ regulatory T-cells from some RA patients revealed an impaired ability to suppress production of certain cytokines/chemokines by autologous LPS-activated monocytes. But this was not observed in all RA patients.

Citation: Walter G. Fleskens V, Frederiksen K, et al. Phenotypic, functional and gene expression profiling of peripheral CD45RA+ and CD45RO+ CD4+CD25+CD127low regulatory T cells in rheumatoid arthritis. Arthritis Rheumatol. 2015; August 28 ,2015. DOI: 10.1002/art.39408