Normalized Ct (ΔcT) values for CD146 (A), CXCL13 (B), and CD109 (C). Lines indicate the change in Ct values between CD146+ cells and CD146− cells from one patient specimen. CD146, as a control, showed strong upregulation in CD146 positive cells for all samples. Similar results were obtained for CXCL13. CD109 upregulation was observed in all blood samples from arthritis patients, and in 3 out of four blood samples from healthy individuals as well as 3 out of four samples from synovial effusions.