A recent study, published in RMD Open, by Martini et al. has identified, in patients with ankylosing spondylitis (AS), high cytotoxic CD8 T cells upregulating chemokine receptors along with genes promoting the ossification process, paving the way to new therapeutic targets for the treatment of AS.
Bellinzona, April 15, 2024 – Ankylosing spondylitis (AS) is a rare autoimmune disease characterized by excessive inflammation in the spine and subsequent new bone formation. AS patients often suffer from other manifestations including inflammation of skin, gut and eyes. This autoimmune condition is classified based on the disease activity with active AS patients displaying ongoing inflammation while inactive patients have inflammation under control. Current treatments for this disease do not always work to stop the excessive new bone formation in the spine.
In this study published in RMD Open, the group led by Mariagrazia Uguccioni, in collaboration with clinicians at the University of Zurich and Bern, and thanks to the support of the Fondazione Ceschina, has identified a subpopulation of circulating CD8 T cells that might play a role in the pathogenesis of AS. These cells, present only in patients with active disease, are high cytotoxic and upregulate some chemokine receptors, master regulators of cell migration, and genes promoting the ossification process. This subpopulation of T cells, due to its chemokine receptor expression pattern, has the potential to traffic to the bone, promoting ossification, and to other sites such as the skin, the gut and the eye, where it could contribute to inflammation, via tissue damage.
These new discoveries suggest that targeting the chemokine system might be beneficial to effectively address this medical condition.