<正>Objective: To study the expression of caspase-3 and tumor necrosis factor-related apoptosis-inducing ligand （TRAIL） receptors in the CD4 + and CD8+ T cells of systemic lupus enythematosus （SLE） patients. Methods: RT-PCR was used to analyze the expression of caspase-3 and TRAIL receptors in CD4+ and CD8+ T cells of SLE patients and normal subjects. Results: The death domain-containing TRAIL-R1/R2 as well as "decoy" TRAIL-R3/R4 were co-expressed in majority of CD4+ and CD8+ T cells in both SLE patients and normal subjects. The CD8+ T cells from SLE patients showed significantly higher expression of caspase-3 and TRAIL-R2 than those from normal subjects

and the expression was correlated with the activity of the disease. Conclusion: The TRAIL-R2 signal pathway might contribute to the apoptosis of T cells in SLE.