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Fig. 3 | Arthritis Research & Therapy

Fig. 3

From: Immunosuppressive therapy influences the accelerated age-dependent T-helper cell differentiation in systemic lupus erythematosus remission patients

Fig. 3

Changes in the composition of the total regulatory T cell (Treg)/responder T cell (Tresp) pool with age in healthy volunteers (n = 94) and SLE patients (n = 78). The percentages of recent thymic emigrant (RTE) Tregs/Tresps, mature naive (MN) Tregs/Tresps, CD31+ memory Tregs/Tresps, and CD31 memory Tregs/Tresps were estimated within the total Treg/Tresp pool in both healthy volunteers (black diamonds) and SLE patients (red diamonds). The figures present the regression lines concerning the changes in the percentages of the different Treg/Tresp subsets with increasing age. Significant changes with age are marked by black p values (healthy volunteers) or red p values (SLE patients). Significantly decreased percentages (red downward arrow) of RTE Tregs, but increased percentages (red upward arrow) of CD31 memory Tregs within total Tregs, independently of age (marked by red p* values), suggest an enhanced differentiation of RTE Tregs into CD31 memory Tregs in SLE patients compared with healthy volunteers (a). Age-independent differences in the differentiation of RTE Tresps between healthy volunteers and SLE patients were not detected (b). The possible differentiation pathways of RTE Tregs/Tresps are illustrated by dashed arrows (c and d). The enhanced differentiation of RTE Tregs into CD31 memory Tregs is illustrated by a bold arrow (c). Details regarding the enhanced differentiation pathway of RTE Tregs via MN or CD31+ memory Tregs in SLE patients cannot be determined (d)

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