A2.34 Specific deletion of β-catenin signalling in dendritic cells results in lower Treg expression without influencing the severity of collagen-induced arthritis

Background and objectives Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is an autoimmune disease characterised by chronic inflammation and synovial infiltration of immune cells. T-cell priming by activated dendritic cells (DCs) contributes to the pathogenesis of RA. DCs are professional antigen presenting cells that have the dual ability to stimulate immunity and maintain tolerance. However, the signalling pathways mediating the tolerogenic DC function in vivo remain largely unknown. Recently, the b-catenin pathway has been suggested to promote a regulatory DC phenotype in vitro . While activation of β-catenin causes the phenotypic maturation of bone marrow-derived DCs, these cells fail to produce immunogenic …