Quantitative and Qualitative Impairment of lmmunoregulatory Cells in the Circulation of Rheumatoid Arthritic Patients

Abstract

T cells bearing receptors for the Fc portion of IgM or IgG, T_M or T_G cells respectively, in the peripheral blood of RA and OA patients were found significantly less often when compared with T_M and T_G cells in the peripheral blood of normal donors. Using culture combinations of T_M, T_G and B cells, we were able to demonstrate that the B cells in the peripheral blood of RA patients were constantly of low functional competence and the T_M cells vaned between highly competent and low competent. RAT_G cells in general suppressed normal B-lymphoblast differentiation.