Fig. 2

Downregulation of CD64/FcγRI on monocytes after exposure to abatacept, as shown by immunoblotting. Peripheral blood samples were obtained from 11 patients with RA and 5 controls and used for immunoblotting. The protein expression of CD64/FcγRI, CD80, CD86, CD32a/FcγRIIa, CD32b/FcγRIIb, and CD16/FcγRIII in whole-cell extracts of monocytes cultured for 24 h in the absence (mock) or presence of abatacept or CD28-Ig. A representative immunoblot image showing a patient with RA in the right panel with the positions of molecular weight markers (A). The signal intensity of individual protein bands was quantified using the ImageJ software and is shown as the intensity ratio, which was calculated by dividing the intensity of the band of interest by the intensity of the β-actin band (B). The results are shown in boxplots, and the statistical comparisons between the two groups were made using the Mann–Whitney U test