IL-21+ CD4+ T helper cells co-expressing IFN-γ and TNF-α accumulate in the joints of antinuclear antibody positive patients with juvenile idiopathic arthritis

J Fischer, J Dirks, G Haase, A Holl-Wieden… - Clinical …, 2020 - Elsevier
Abstract Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis (JIA) is currently classified into seven subgroups.
Recently, antinuclear antibody (ANA) positive JIA patients were suggested to encompass a
clinically homogenous new subgroup. CD4+ T helper (Th) cells play an essential role in JIA
pathogenesis. Herein, we analyzed cytokine expression in synovial fluid (SF) CD4+ Th cells
of JIA patients by using flow cytometry and compared cytokine patterns between JIA
subgroups. We could show increased frequencies of IL-21 expressing CD4+ Th cells in the …