Effect of anti-T cell auto antibodies from systemic lupus erythematosus sera upon T lymphocyte functions

✍ Scribed by Leonard P. Goldschmidt; Thomas F. Kresina; Gary M. Kammer

• Publisher: John Wiley and Sons
• Year: 1986
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 873 KB
• Volume: 29
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0004-3591
• DOI: 10.1002/art.1780290509

✦ Synopsis

This study was undertaken to establish whether IgM and IgG anti-T cell autoantibodies obtained from sera of patients with active systemic lupus erythematosus, impair normal T lymphocyte functions. Two in vitro models of T cell function were examined: (a) the capacity of cells to cap, endocytose, and regenerate the T31, T4, and T8 surface antigens; and (b) the adenosineinduced T4 --$ T8 phenotype switch. The results demonstrated that autoantibody neither impaired the capping process, nor impeded the phenotypic switch. Thus, bound anti-T cell autoantibodies do not appear to interfere with these specific T lymphocyte functions and cannot directly account for either the impaired T cell capping mechanism or the block in adenosine-induced phenotype switch observed during active systemic lupus erythematosus.

Autoantibodies with specificity for cell surface, nuclear, and/or cytoplasmic antigens are often observed in the sera of individuals with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Although the significance of these autoantibodies in the pathogenesis of SLE has yet to be elucidated, the lymphopenia occurring during From the