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. 1995 Feb;99(2):245–250. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2249.1995.tb05540.x

Up-regulated expression of Fas antigen (CD95) by peripheral naive and memory T cell subsets in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE): a possible mechanism for lymphopenia.

Y Amasaki 1, S Kobayashi 1, T Takeda 1, N Ogura 1, S Jodo 1, T Nakabayashi 1, A Tsutsumi 1, A Fujisaku 1, T Koike 1
PMCID: PMC1534304  PMID: 7531628

Abstract

Fas antigen (CD95) is a membrane-associated molecule that mediates apoptotic cell death and may play a role in the induction and maintenance of T cell tolerance. To elucidate the involvement of Fas antigen in human autoimmune diseases, we analysed Fas antigen expression by peripheral T cells from patients with SLE and rheumatoid arthritis (RA), using three-colour flow cytometry. Both CD4+ and CD8+ T cells from SLE patients expressed Fas antigen in a higher density than did these cells from healthy donors and from RA patients. Enhancement of Fas antigen density was noted in Fas+CD45RO+ memory T cells from SLE patients. More remarkably, a significant expression of Fas antigen was observed in CD45RO- naive T cells from SLE patients. CD4+CD45RO- T cells from SLE patients co-expressed Fas antigen and early to intermediate activation antigens such as CD25 and CD71, and late activation antigen HLA-DR in only FashiCD4+ naive T cells. Such up-regulation of Fas antigen expression in SLE patients seems to be clinically meaningful, because mean fluorescence intensity (MFI) of Fas antigen on CD4+ T cell subsets inversely correlates with the absolute size of CD4+ T cell subsets in peripheral blood of SLE patients. These results suggest that T cells with increased Fas antigen expression may be highly susceptible to apoptotic cell death, in vivo. A putative mechanism for lymphopenia in SLE patients is discussed.

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Selected References

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