Pathological significance of T cell plasticity in arthritis and development of novel therapies

2017 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 26713015
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Young Scientists (A)
• Allocation Type: Partial Multi-year Fund
• Research Field: Experimental pathology
• Research Institution: The University of Tokyo
• Principal Investigator: Komatsu Noriko 東京大学, 大学院医学系研究科(医学部), 助教 (20553358)
• Project Period (FY): 2014-04-01 – 2018-03-31
• Keywords: 関節リウマチ / 自己免疫疾患 / T細胞

Outline of Final Research Achievements

It is widely known that the imbalance between pathogenic T cells and regulatory T cells is involved in the pathogenesis of rheumatoid arthritis (RA), however, the fundamental treatment for RA has not been established. We previously reported that a novel pathogenic T cell subset which is converted from regulatory T cells exacerbated autoimmune arthritis, however its effector mechanism remained to be elucidated. Here, by genetic methods, we clarified the importance of the interaction between the pathogenic T cell subset and tissue resident-mesenchymal cells in the bone destruction in arthritis. By comprehensive analysis, we identified several molecules that are specifically expressed in the new pathogenic T cell subset, which will contribute to the development of novel therapeutic strategies for rheumatoid arthritis in the future.

Free Research Field

免疫学