Pathogenic anti-DNA autoantibody-inducing T helper cell lines from patients with active lupus nephritis: isolation of CD4-8- T helper cell lines that express the gamma delta T-cell antigen receptor.

Abstract excerpt

The antigen responsible for autoimmunization in systemic lupus erythematosus is unknown. In spite of this obstacle, we show that T helper (Th) cell lines that are functionally relevant to this disease can be established in vitro. We derived a total of 396 interleukin 2-dependent T-cell lines from the in vivo activated T cells of five patients with lupus nephritis. Only 59 (approximately 15%) of these lines had...