bcl-2 and bax gene expression in T cells. (A) Relative expressions of Bcl-2 and Bax mRNA in peripheral blood CD4⁺ T cells. In ITP patients at baseline, the expression of Bcl-2 mRNA in CD4⁺ T cells was higher (P = .003) and that of Bax mRNA was lower (P = .025) than in controls. The Bcl-2/Bax ratio was also significantly higher than in normal samples (P < .001). Patients and controls had similar expressions of Bcl-2 and Bax mRNAs in CD8⁺ T cells, indicated with the optical absorption ratio. Bcl-2 and Bax expressions were also not significantly different between responders and controls, whereas they were not substantially different from baseline in nonresponders. (B) Representative RT-PCR analysis for Bcl-2 and Bax on peripheral blood CD4⁺ T cells. Expression of Bcl-2 was on average increased and that of Bax reduced in ITP patients compared with controls. β-Actin was used as an internal control.