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Blood, 15 August 2008, Vol. 112, No. 4, pp. 1147-1150. Prepublished online as a Blood First Edition Paper on March 28, 2008; DOI 10.1182/blood-2007-12-129262. This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) All Versions of this Article: blood-2007-12-129262v1 112/4/1147    most recent Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Citation Map Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Rights and Permissions Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via CrossRef Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Stasi, R. Articles by Amadori, S. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Stasi, R. Articles by Amadori, S. Related Collections Hemostasis, Thrombosis, and Vascular Biology Brief Reports Related Article in Blood Online Social Bookmarking                   What's this?  Previous Article  |  Table of Contents  |  Next Article  HEMOSTASIS, THROMBOSIS, AND VASCULAR BIOLOGY Brief Report Analysis of regulatory T-cell changes in patients with idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura receiving B cell–depleting therapy with rituximab Roberto Stasi1, Nichola Cooper2, Giovanni Del Poeta3, Elisa Stipa4, Maria Laura Evangelista1, Elisabetta Abruzzese4, and Sergio Amadori3 1 Department of Medical Sciences, Ospedale Regina Apostolorum, Albano Laziale, Rome, Italy; 2 Molecular Immunology Unit, Institute of Child Health, London, United Kingdom; 3 Department of Hematology, Tor Vergata University Hospital, Rome, Italy; and 4 Division of Hematology, Ospedale Sant' Eugenio, Rome, Italy The effects of B-cell depletion with rituximab on regulatory T cells (Tregs) have not been determined. We investigated Tregs in patients receiving rituximab for chronic idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP). The peripheral blood Tregs, identified as CD4+FOXP3+ T cells, were measured by flow cytometry prior to and after the immunotherapy. In addition, Tregs were analyzed for their usage of the T-cell receptor (TCR) β-variable (VB) region gene as well as their regulatory function as assessed by cell proliferation assays. Pretreatment data revealed a reduced number and a defective suppressive capacity of Tregs in ITP patients compared with control individuals. In addition, Tregs showed a polyclonal spectratype. Patients, particularly responders, showed restored numbers of Tregs as well as a restored regulatory function upon treatment with rituximab. These results indicate that patients with active ITP have a defective T regulatory cell compartment that can be modulated by a B cell–targeted therapy. CiteULike    Connotea    Del.icio.us    Digg    Reddit    Technorati    What's this? Related Article in Blood Online: ITP three R's: regulation, routing, rituximab John W. Semple Blood 2008 112: 927-928. [Full Text] [PDF] This article has been cited by other articles: J. W. Semple Platelet antigen-induced regulation in ITP Blood, March 12, 2009; 113(11): 2373 - 2373. [Full Text] [PDF] Fresh Insights into Chronic Immune Thrombocytopenic Purpura Journal Watch Oncology and Hematology, September 23, 2008; 2008(923): 2 - 2. [Full Text]

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