Chemokines and their receptors determine the distribution of leukocytes within tissues in health and disease. We have studied the role of the constitutive chemokine receptor CXCR4 and its ligand, stromal-derived factor-1 (SDF-1) in the perivascular accumulation of T cells in rheumatoid arthritis. We show that synovial T cells, which are primed CD45RO+CD45RBdull cells and consequently not expected to express constitutive chemokine receptors, have high levels of the chemokine receptor CXCR4. Sustained expression of CXCR4 was maintained on synovial T cells by specific factors present within the synovial microenvironment. Extensive screening revealed that TGF-β isoforms induce the expression of CXCR4 on CD4 T cells in vitro. Depletion studies using synovial fluid confirmed an important role for TGF-β1 in the induction of CXCR4 expression in vivo. The only known ligand for CXCR4 is SDF-1. We found SDF-1 on synovial endothelial cells and showed that SDF-1 was able to induce strong integrin-mediated adhesion of synovial fluid T cells to fibronectin and ICAM-1, confirming that CXCR4 expressed on synovial T cells was functional. These results suggest that the persistent induction of CXCR4 on synovial T cells by TGF-β1 leads to their active, SDF-1-mediated retention in a perivascular distribution within the rheumatoid synovium.

Objective To test the hypothesis that the formation of ectopic germinal center (GC)–like structures in Sjögren's syndrome (SS) is associated with the ectopic expression of the constitutive lymphoid tissue–homing chemokines B cell–attracting chemokine 1 (BCA‐1; or, CXCL13) and stromal cell–derived factor 1 (SDF‐1; or, CXCL12). Methods Immunohistochemical and immunofluorescence analysis was used to determine the expression of the constitutive chemokines BCA‐1 (CXCL13) and SDF‐1 (CXCL12) in salivary glands from 5 SS patients and 3 non‐SS patients. In addition, the expression of their respective receptors (CXCR5 and CXCR4) was examined on infiltrating lymphocytes. Human tonsil was used as a positive control for secondary lymphoid tissue. Results BCA‐1 (CXCL13) was expressed within lymphoid aggregates in SS, which shared many structural features with GCs in tonsil. BCA‐1 (CXCL13) was completely absent in control biopsy samples from patients who did not have SS. High levels of BCA‐1 (CXCL13) were also found on endothelial cells in salivary glands from SS patients. Diseased SS tissue was infiltrated by CXCR5‐expressing B cells which organized into GC‐like clusters. In complete contrast, SDF‐1 (CXCL12), a constitutive chemokine involved in leukocyte retention within lymphoid tissue, was expressed by epithelial cells in both diseased and control samples. The chemokine receptor for SDF‐1, CXCR4, was expressed on T cells that accumulated in a periductal distribution in diseased tissue. Conclusion The ectopic expression of BCA‐1 (CXCL13) on endothelial cells and within GC‐like structures, together with the strong expression of SDF‐1 (CXCL12) on ductal epithelial cells, is a unique feature of inflamed glands in SS. By creating a local microenvironment supportive of focal B cell aggregation and differentiation, with structural features that are remarkably similar to GCs, BCA‐1 (CXCL13) and SDF‐1 (CXCL12) may contribute to the excessive production of high‐affinity, class‐switched autoantibodies and to the high incidence of B cell lymphomas classically associated with SS.

The resolution of immune responses is characterized by extensive apoptosis of activated T cells. However, to generate and maintain immunological memory, some antigen-specific T cells must survive and revert to a resting G0/G1 state. Cytokines that bind to the common gamma chain of the IL-2 receptor promote the survival of T cell blasts, but also induce proliferation. In contrast, soluble factors secreted by stromal cells induce Tcell survival in a resting G0/G1 state. We now report that interferon-beta is the principal mediator of stromal cell-mediated Tcell rescue from apoptosis. Interferon-alpha and -beta promote the reversion of blast Tcells to a resting G0/G1 configuration with all the characteristic features of stromal cell rescue; such as high Bcl-XL expression and low Bcl-2. Type I interferons and stromal cells stimulate apparently identical signaling pathways, leading to STAT-1 activation. We also show that this mechanism may play a fundamental role in the persistence of T cells at sites of chronic inflammation; suggesting that chronic inflammation is an aberrant consequence of immunological memory.