The local and systemic cytokine signatures of juvenile idiopathic arthritis are attributable to tcr-independent activation of two novel subsets of prematurely senescent t cells found in synovial fluid

Objectives We have reported recently that JIA patients carry high numbers of unusual senescent CD8 T cells bearing CD31, a molecule known mediate leukocyte diapedesis into sites of injury. In the present work, we re-surveyed the T cell populations of patients for other CD31 senescent T cell subsets. We hypothesized that CD31 signaling in these senescent cells is a self-perpetuating mechanism for the upregulation of inflammatory cytokines in JIA.