To determine the level of T cell clonal expansion and the proportion of T cells that persist over time in the synovial fluid (SF) of patients with juvenile onset rheumatoid arthritis (JRA).
We collected SF samples from each of 3 patients with JRA at 2 to 3 year intervals. To measure expression across the entire spectrum of Vbeta families in each of 7 fluids examined, we synthesized and amplified dscDNA from all 24 Vbeta families with a single reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR).
The proportion of clonally expanded T cells and persistent T cells is low and variable among patients.
The data are supportive of disease models not centered on T cells but centered on the changing nature of the disease over time.