These findings were similar to previous findings in individual donors [7]. CD25 is expressed on activated effector T cells and, at higher levels, on CD4+ regulatory T cells (Tregs) [23]. Indeed, a small minority of the CD146+CD4+ T cells was CD25high (Fig. 4a, left)

and expressed the Treg transcription factor, FoxP3 (Supporting information, Fig. S3). On most CD146+CD4+ T cells, however, CD25 expression was low (Fig. 4a, left). Other T cell activation antigens [OX40 (Fig. 5) and CD69 (Fig. 6), but not major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class II (Supporting information, Fig. S4) or CD70 (Supporting information, Fig. S5)] were also over-represented systematically within the CD146+ population of the CD4+ T cell subset in HDs (a,b, left). (Only a subset of HDs was analysed for all activation markers; the trend for OX40 was consistent but did not reach statistical significance.)

Of these activation markers, only CD69 was Erlotinib in vivo over-represented consistently in HD CD146+ CD8 cells (Figs 4-6, Supporting information, Figs S5 and S6, A and C, left panels). Thus, CD146 was associated with recent T cell activation, although none of the markers exhibited perfect overlap and the association was less marked in CD8 cells. In CTD patients, deviations from these normal patterns were uncommon, as described further below. CD45RO is expressed following priming of naive T cells and persists www.selleckchem.com/products/bay-57-1293.html in central and effector memory T cells; chronically stimulated cells may re-express the CD45RA isoform [24, 25]. As reported previously in individual donors [7], CD146 expression on HD CD4 T cells was confined to CD45RO+ cells (Fig. 7a,b, left panels). However, within the CD8 subset, both CD45RO+ and RO− cells expressed CD146 (Fig. 7c, left). RO+ cells were enriched among CD146+ CD8 cells, but this trend was far less pronounced than in CD4 cells. Ribonucleotide reductase CD45RA was

analysed in some HDs and patients with SLE, showing reciprocal patterns to those observed with the RO isoform (Supporting information, Fig. S6). CD27 and CD28 are down-regulated sequentially upon chronic stimulation of T cells [26-28]. CD4+ T cells lacking CD28 have been implicated in atherogenesis [29]; CD28-negative CD8 cell expansion is associated with persistent herpesvirus infections. Both CD27+ and CD27–CD4 and CD8 T cells expressed CD146 (Fig. 8). Within the CD4, but not the CD8 subset, CD146+ cells were enriched for cells that had lost CD27. In most HDs, CD4+CD28− T cells were a small minority; virtually all CD146+ cells retained CD28 expression (Fig. 9). CD28 loss was more extensive in the CD8 subset and CD28–CD146+ CD8 cells were detectable (Fig. 9c), yet CD146 expression on CD8 cells was associated statistically with retention of CD28. In conclusion, CD146 is expressed by both early (CD27+) and late (CD27–) memory/effector CD4 T cells, but not by proatherogenic, ‘senescent’ CD28–CD4+ cells.