(A) Schematic representation of PPP2R2B, indicating the location of DNAse I hypersensitivity sites detected in human naive CD4+ T cells and Th1-differentiated CD4+ T cells (16). Also, the location of a large CpG island, composed of 97 CpG dinucleotides, that encompasses the first exon and the 5′ UTR of the gene is shown. (B) Methylation-specific PCR was performed in T cell genomic DNA after bisulfite conversion. Shown are representative results of 3 HDs, 3 patients with SLE, and 3 patients with RA. M, methylated; U, unmethylated. Band density was quantified and the M/U ratio of each sample is shown. (C) Cumulative data from B presented as CpG methylation index: (M band + U band)/M band. HD n = 20; SLE n = 11; RA n = 12. **P < 0.01; ***P < 0.001; 1-way ANOVA with Tukey’s multiple-comparisons test.