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Table 1 Characteristics of chronically activated T lymphocytes in the synovium of patients with rheumatoid arthritis

From: Studies of T-cell activation in chronic inflammation

1

T lymphocytes are found in follicular lymphoid aggregates

2

The cell-surface phenotype is suggestive of chronic immune activation, e.g. expression of CD45RO, CD69, and subsets of chemokine receptors

3

T cells are terminally differentiated, with significant telomere loss

4

Synovial T cells are hyporesponsive to TCR ligation

5

Synovial T cells exist in an environment favouring cell survival

6

There is an imbalance of pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokines, with a predominance of macrophage products in inflamed joints

7

There is a bias towards the development of T helper (Th)1 cells