Establishment of nurse-like stromal cells from bone marrow of patients with rheumatoid arthritis: indication of characteristic bone marrow microenvironment in patients with rheumatoid arthritis
T. Tomita et al., Establishment of nurse-like stromal cells from bone marrow of patients with rheumatoid arthritis: indication of characteristic bone marrow microenvironment in patients with rheumatoid arthritis, RHEUMATOLOG, 38(9), 1999, pp. 854-863
Objective. To investigate the microenvironment of bone marrow (BM) of patie
nts with rheumatoid arthritis (RA).
Methods. Nurse cell-like BM stromal cell lines were established from BM mon
onuclear cells of patients with RA. We examined the various characteristics
of these cell lines, including morphology, pseudoemperipolesis activity, c
ell surface markers, cytokine production and hyaluronan (I-LA) production.
Results. These RA BM nurse cell-like lines (RA-BMNC) were of mesenchymal or
igin and positive for CD44, CD54 and HLA-DR. They were defined as nurse cel
ls because of pseudoemperipolesis activity that allowed lymphocytes to migr
ate underneath. RA-BMNC lines produced WA and multiple cytokines including
interleukin (IL)-6, IL-7, IL-8 and granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulatin
g factor (GM-CSF). WA production by BM stromal cells was correlated with ps
eudoemperipolesis activity. RA-BMNC produced significantly higher levels of
IL-6, IL-8 and GM-CSF by co-culture with lymphocytes. The cells also produ
ced IL-1 beta, G-CSF and tumour necrosis factor only when co-cultured with
lymphocytes. The RA-BMNC maintained the growth of CD14+ myeloid cells uniqu
e to severe RA.
Conclusion. The present results both indicate that RA-BMNC are nurse cells
and suggest that they may play an important role in the pathogenesis of RA.