scholarly journals Autoantibodies and Resident Renal Cells in the Pathogenesis of Lupus Nephritis: Getting to Know the Unknown

2012 ◽  
Vol 2012 ◽  
pp. 1-13 ◽  
Author(s):  
Susan Yung ◽  
Tak Mao Chan

Systemic lupus erythematosus is characterized by a breakdown of self-tolerance and production of autoantibodies. Kidney involvement (i.e., lupus nephritis) is both common and severe and can result in permanent damage within the glomerular, vascular, and tubulo-interstitial compartments of the kidney, leading to acute or chronic renal failure. Accumulating evidence shows that anti-dsDNA antibodies play a critical role in the pathogenesis of lupus nephritis through their binding to cell surface proteins of resident kidney cells, thereby triggering the downstream activation of signaling pathways and the release of mediators of inflammation and fibrosis. This paper describes the mechanisms through which autoantibodies interact with resident renal cells and how this interaction plays a part in disease pathogenesis that ultimately leads to structural and functional alterations in lupus nephritis.

2013 ◽  
Vol 2013 ◽  
pp. 1-10 ◽  
Author(s):  
Susan Yung ◽  
Kwok Fan Cheung ◽  
Qing Zhang ◽  
Tak Mao Chan

Lupus nephritis affects up to 70% of patients with systemic lupus erythematosus and is a major cause of morbidity and mortality. It is characterized by a breakdown of immune tolerance, production of autoantibodies, and deposition of immune complexes within the kidney parenchyma, resulting in local inflammation and subsequent organ damage. To date, numerous mediators of inflammation have been implicated in the development and progression of lupus nephritis, and these include cytokines, chemokines, and glycosaminoglycans. Of these, type I interferons (IFNs) can increase both gene and protein expression of cytokines and chemokines associated with lupus susceptibility, and interleukin-6 (IL-6), tumor necrosis factor-α(TNF-α) and hyaluronan have been shown to elicit both pro- and anti-inflammatory effects on infiltrating and resident renal cells depending on the status of their microenvironment. Expression of IL-6, TNF-α, type I IFNs, and hyaluronan are increased in the kidneys of patients and mice with active lupus nephritis and have been shown to contribute to disease pathogenesis. There is also evidence that despite clinical remission, ongoing inflammatory processes may occur within the glomerular and tubulointerstitial compartments of the kidney, which further promote kidney injury. In this review, we provide an overview of the synthesis and putative roles of IL-6, TNF-α, IFN-α, and hyaluronan in the pathogenesis of lupus nephritis focusing on their effects on human mesangial cells and proximal renal tubular epithelial cells.


Lupus ◽  
2021 ◽  
pp. 096120332098345
Author(s):  
Alessandra Ida Celia ◽  
Roberta Priori ◽  
Bruna Cerbelli ◽  
Francesca Diomedi-Camassei ◽  
Vincenzo Leuzzi ◽  
...  

Proteinuria is one of the most typical manifestations of kidney involvement in Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE). We report the case of a 23-year-old woman with a 6-year-long history of SLE presenting with proteinuria after a three-year remission on hydroxychloroquine. Kidney histological examination showed alterations inconsistent with lupus nephritis and suggestive of hydroxychloroquine toxicity or Fabry disease. The latter was confirmed by genetic assay.


Lupus ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 26 (13) ◽  
pp. 1448-1456 ◽  
Author(s):  
K C Maloney ◽  
T S Ferguson ◽  
H D Stewart ◽  
A A Myers ◽  
K De Ceulaer

Background Epidemiological studies in systemic lupus erythematosus have been reported in the literature in many countries and ethnic groups. Although systemic lupus erythematosus in Jamaica has been described in the past, there has not been a detailed evaluation of systemic lupus erythematosus patients in urban Jamaica, a largely Afro-Caribbean population. The goal of this study was to describe the clinical features, particularly disease activity, damage index and immunological features, of 150 systemic lupus erythematosus subjects. Methods 150 adult patients (≥18 years) followed in rheumatology clinic at a tertiary rheumatology hospital centre (one of two of the major public referral centres in Jamaica) and the private rheumatology offices in urban Jamaica who fulfilled Systemic Lupus International Collaborating Clinics (SLICC) criteria were included. Data were collected by detailed clinical interview and examination and laboratory investigations. Hence demographics, SLICC criteria, immunological profile, systemic lupus erythematosus disease activity index 2000 (SLEDAI-2K) and SLICC/American College of Rheumatology (ACR) damage index (SDI) were documented. Results Of the 150 patients, 145 (96.7%) were female and five (3.3%) were male. The mean age at systemic lupus erythematosus onset was 33.2 ± 10.9. Mean disease duration was 11.3 ± 8.6 years. The most prevalent clinical SLICC criteria were musculoskeletal, with 141 (94%) of subjects experiencing arthralgia/arthritis, followed by mucocutaneous manifestations of alopecia 103 (68.7%) and malar rash 46 (30.7%), discoid rash 45 (30%) and photosensitivity 40 (26.7%). Lupus nephritis (biopsy proven) occurred in 42 (28%) subjects and 25 (16.7%) met SLICC diagnostic criteria with only positive antinuclear antibodies/dsDNA antibodies and lupus nephritis on renal biopsy. The most common laboratory SLICC criteria were positive antinuclear antibodies 136 (90.7%) followed by anti-dsDNA antibodies 95 (63.3%) and low complement (C3) levels 38 (25.3%). Twenty-seven (18%) met SLICC diagnostic criteria with only positive antinuclear antibodies/anti-dsDNA antibodies and lupus nephritis on renal biopsy. Mean SLEDAI score was 6.9 ± 5.1 with a range of 0–32. Organ damage occurred in 129 (86%) patients; mean SDI was 2.4 ± 1.8, with a range of 0–9. Conclusion These results are similar to the clinical manifestations reported in other Afro-Caribbean populations; however, distinct differences exist with respect to organ involvement and damage, particularly with respect to renal involvement, which appears to be reduced in our participants.


Lupus ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 29 (13) ◽  
pp. 1759-1772
Author(s):  
Anna Truszewska ◽  
Agnieszka Wirkowska ◽  
Kamila Gala ◽  
Piotr Truszewski ◽  
Łucja Krzemień-Ojak ◽  
...  

Background Increased level of cell-free DNA (cf-DNA) is associated with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and might be related to disease activity. The aim of this study was to evaluate whether cfDNA integrity, size distribution and concentration of different cfDNA fractions is associated with lupus activity and kidney involvement. Methods Blood samples were collected from 43 SLE patients and 50 healthy controls. Nuclear and mitochondrial fractions of cfDNA and intracellular DNA were quantified by real-time qPCR. Sizing and quantification of total cfDNA level was performed on Bioanalyzer. Results We determined four parameters that characterized cfDNA profile: fragmentation index, ratio of intra- to extracellular mtDNA copy number, cfDNA concentration, and presence of 54–149 bp and 209–297 bp fragments. Patients with healthy-like cfDNA profile had higher eGFR ( P = 0.009) and more often no indications for kidney biopsy or less advanced lupus nephritis (LN) ( P = 0.037). In contrary, SLE patients with distinct cfDNA profile (characterized by increased cfDNA concentration and fragmentation, higher discrepancy between intra- to extracellular mtDNA copy number, and the presence of 54–149 bp and 209–297 bp fragments) had lower eGFR ( P = 0.005) and more often advanced LN or history of renal transplantation ( P = 0.001). Conclusions We showed that cfDNA profiling may help to distinguish SLE patients with renal involvement and severe disease course from patients with more favorable outcomes. We suggest cfDNA profile a promising SLE biomarker.


2021 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Feliciano Chanana Paquissi ◽  
Hugo Abensur

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a disease characterized by dysregulation and hyperreactivity of the immune response at various levels, including hyperactivation of effector cell subtypes, autoantibodies production, immune complex formation, and deposition in tissues. The consequences of hyperreactivity to the self are systemic and local inflammation and tissue damage in multiple organs. Lupus nephritis (LN) is one of the most worrying manifestations of SLE, and most patients have this involvement at some point in the course of the disease. Among the effector cells involved, the Th17, a subtype of T helper cells (CD4+), has shown significant hyperactivation and participates in kidney damage and many other organs. Th17 cells have IL-17A and IL-17F as main cytokines with receptors expressed in most renal cells, being involved in the activation of many proinflammatory and profibrotic pathways. The Th17/IL-17 axis promotes and maintains repetitive tissue damage and maladaptive repair; leading to fibrosis, loss of organ architecture and function. In the podocytes, the Th17/IL-17 axis effects include changes of the cytoskeleton with increased motility, decreased expression of health proteins, increased oxidative stress, and activation of the inflammasome and caspases resulting in podocytes apoptosis. In renal tubular epithelial cells, the Th17/IL-17 axis promotes the activation of profibrotic pathways such as increased TGF-β expression and epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) with consequent increase of extracellular matrix proteins. In addition, the IL-17 promotes a proinflammatory environment by stimulating the synthesis of inflammatory cytokines by intrinsic renal cells and immune cells, and the synthesis of growth factors and chemokines, which together result in granulopoiesis/myelopoiesis, and further recruitment of immune cells to the kidney. The purpose of this work is to present the prognostic and immunopathologic role of the Th17/IL-17 axis in Kidney diseases, with a special focus on LN, including its exploration as a potential immunotherapeutic target in this complication.


2021 ◽  
Vol 2 (3) ◽  
pp. 147-156
Author(s):  
Ram P. Singh ◽  
David S. Bischoff ◽  
Bevra H. Hahn

Abstract T regulatory cells (Tregs) have a key role in the maintenance of immune homeostasis and the regulation of immune tolerance by preventing the inflammation and suppressing the autoimmune responses. Numerical and functional deficits of these cells have been reported in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) patients and mouse models of SLE, where their imbalance and dysregulated activities have been reported to significantly influence the disease pathogenesis, progression and outcomes. Most studies in SLE have focused on CD4+ Tregs and it has become clear that a critical role in the control of immune tolerance after the breakdown of self-tolerance is provided by CD8+ Tregs. Here we review the role, cellular and molecular phenotypes, and mechanisms of action of CD8+ Tregs in SLE, including ways to induce these cells for immunotherapeutic modulation in SLE.


Lupus ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 29 (6) ◽  
pp. 607-616
Author(s):  
Asmaa SM Abdel-Rehim ◽  
Nesrine A Mohamed ◽  
Marwa M Shakweer

Background Lupus nephritis (LN) is an ominous manifestation of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Clinical renal affection is present in about 70% of lupus patients, and more patients have histological evidence of renal involvement without clinical manifestations. This study aimed to investigate the potential role of serum interleukin-34 (IL-34) as an early marker for the detection of silent LN. Methods Thirty-three lupus patients with silent LN (group I), 37 patients with clinical LN (group II) and 20 controls were included. The SLE Disease Activity Index (SLEDAI), IL-34, anti-dsDNA antibodies and renal biopsy were assessed in all patients. Results Serum IL-34 levels were significantly higher in all lupus patients compared to healthy controls ( p < 0.001) and showed a significant positive correlation with SLEDAI score. SLE patients with positive anti-dsDNA antibodies had more active disease according to SLEDAI and higher levels of IL-34 than those with negative anti-dsDNA antibodies. In both studied groups, serum IL-34 levels were significantly higher in patients with proliferative LN (class III and class IV) than those with non-proliferative lupus (class II and class V) and controls. Yet, in both groups, IL-34 was not useful in differentiating active from chronic renal affection. Conclusion In lupus patients with insignificant proteinuria, serum levels of IL-34 distinguished the different histological classes of subclinical LN. Serum IL-34 may be used as a surrogate marker for early renal affection in silent LN, especially the proliferative type.


F1000Research ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 4 ◽  
pp. 939 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shu Man Fu ◽  
Chao Dai ◽  
Zhenhuan Zhao ◽  
Felicia Gaskin

Anti-dsDNA antibodies are the most studied antibodies of the lupus-related autoantibodies. The dogma is that these are the most important autoantibodies in systemic lupus erythematosus. In this review, evidence is presented to show that these antibodies (as measured by modern clinical laboratories) are not the most important autoantibodies in the diagnosis of systemic lupus erythematosus, and are of limited value in clinical correlation and in predicting disease flares. In addition, they are not likely to be the initiating autoantibodies in lupus nephritis. Thus, several pervasively held beliefs on anti-dsDNA antibodies are not valid. We suggest that anti-dsDNA antibodies should be considered as just one of the many autoantibodies associated with systemic lupus erythematosus.


F1000Research ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 6 ◽  
pp. 874 ◽  
Author(s):  
Susan Yung ◽  
Desmond YH Yap ◽  
Tak Mao Chan

Lupus nephritis is a potentially reversible cause of severe acute kidney injury and is an important cause of end-stage renal failure in Asians and patients of African or Hispanic descent. It is characterized by aberrant exaggerated innate and adaptive immune responses, autoantibody production and their deposition in the kidney parenchyma, triggering complement activation, activation and proliferation of resident renal cells, and expression of pro-inflammatory and chemotactic molecules leading to the influx of inflammatory cells, all of which culminate in destruction of normal nephrons and their replacement by fibrous tissue. Anti-double-stranded DNA (anti-dsDNA) antibody level correlates with disease activity in most patients. There is evidence that apart from mediating pathogenic processes through the formation of immune complexes, pathogenic anti-dsDNA antibodies can bind to resident renal cells and induce downstream pro-apoptotic, pro-inflammatory, or pro-fibrotic processes or a combination of these. Recent data also highlight the critical role of macrophages in acute and chronic kidney injury. Though clinically effective, current treatments for lupus nephritis encompass non-specific immunosuppression and the anti-inflammatory action of high-dose corticosteroids. The clinical and histological impact of novel biologics targeting pro-inflammatory molecules remains to be investigated. Insight into the underlying mechanisms that induce inflammatory and fibrotic processes in the kidney of lupus nephritis could present opportunities for more specific novel treatment options to improve clinical outcomes while minimizing off-target untoward effects. This review discusses recent advances in the understanding of pathogenic mechanisms leading to inflammation and fibrosis of the kidney in lupus nephritis in the context of established standard-of-care and emerging therapies.


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