Expression of intracellular transforming growth factor-beta1 in CD4+CD25+ cells in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus.

Background And Purpose: The CD4+CD25+ regulatory T (Treg) cells exert immunoregulatory functions in various autoimmune diseases, in part through transforming growth factor-beta1 (TGF-beta1), and can be expanded by TGF-beta1 stimulation in normal subjects. This study aimed to examine intrinsic TGF-beta1 expression and the response to TGF-beta1 stimulation of this CD4+CD25+ subset in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE).

Methods: Flow cytometry with multicolor staining of CD4+, CD25+, and TGF-beta1 was used to quantify the percentage of CD4+CD25+ T cells in fresh peripheral blood and TGF-beta1-stimulated peripheral blood mononuclear cell (PBMC) cultures, and their corresponding intracellular TGF-beta1 expression.