T cells from patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) have high levels of cAMP response element modulator (CREM)-alpha which bind to the interleukin (IL-2) promoter and limit IL-2 production. In this case-controlled study, we show that CREM-alpha mRNA levels were higher in T cells from patients with SLE than controls while CREB mRNA levels did not differ between the two groups. CREM-alpha mRNA levels did not correlate with clinical characteristics, disease activity or treatment. Nevertheless, there was a trend for patients on high doses of corticosteroids to have low levels of CREM-alpha mRNA. The discovery of specific non-toxic medications that block the expression of CREM-alpha may prove useful in reversing the aberrant T cell function in SLE.