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RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS

Erasing the memory of arthritis in joints

Nature Reviews Rheumatology volume 18, page 5 (2022)Cite this article

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New research suggests that recurrence of arthritis is mediated by a population of resident memory T (TRM) cells that accumulate in the synovium of affected joints, persist during remission and contribute to disease flare in the same joints following activation by antigen. The findings could help explain why individual patients develop a characteristic pattern of joint inflammation, and also suggest that depletion of synovial TRM cells could ameliorate local disease recurrence.

The researchers then demonstrated how TRM cells contribute to arthritis flares in mice. “TRM cells nucleated recurrent inflammation upon stimulation by antigen, recruiting other effector T cells via CCL5, as reflected by abrogation of disease flare when this cytokine was blocked,” reports corresponding author Peter Nigrovic. “Depletion of TRM cells during remission markedly attenuated recurrent arthritis upon systemic antigen re-challenge,” he adds. Together, the findings provide a mechanism for joint-specific memory and disease recurrence.

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References

Original article

  • Chang, M. H. et al. Arthritis flares mediated by tissue-resident memory T cells in the joint. Cell Rep. 37, 109902 (2021)

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  1. Nature Reviews Rheumatology http://www.nature.com/nrrheum/

    Sarah Onuora

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  1. Sarah Onuora
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Correspondence to Sarah Onuora.

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Onuora, S. Erasing the memory of arthritis in joints. Nat Rev Rheumatol 18, 5 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41584-021-00730-y

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