Serum levels of soluble programmed cell death protein 1 and soluble programmed cell death protein ligand 2 are increased in systemic lupus erythematosus and associated with the disease activity

Objective Programmed cell death protein 1 (PD-1) pathway plays important roles in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). We aimed to elucidate the association of serum soluble PD-1 (sPD-1) and related molecules with SLE and to explore their usefulness as biomarkers. Methods We retrospectively measured the serum levels of sPD-1, soluble PD-ligand 1 (sPD-L1), soluble PD-ligand 2 (sPD-L2) and interleukin (IL)-21 by ELISA in SLE patients, systemic sclerosis patients and healthy controls. Repeat sera samples were also obtained post treatment. Results The serum levels of sPD-1 and sPD-L2 in SLE patients with high disease activity were significantly higher than those in SLE patients with low disease activity, systemic sclerosis patients and healthy controls ( n = 58, 15, 20 and 21, respectively; p < 0.001). However, the serum levels of sPD-L1 and IL-21 were not elevated in SLE patients. The serum levels of sPD-1 and sPD-L2 were higher among active SLE patients who tested positive for anti-dsDNA antibodies than in those who tested negative ( p = 0.002 and <0.001, respectively). There were moderate correlations between the serum levels of sPD-1 and sPD-L2 and the SLE Disease Activity Index 2000 scores, the titres of anti-dsDNA antibodies and the serum levels of complements. Furthermore, the serum levels of sPD-1 and sPD-L2 decreased significantly in accordance with disease amelioration following treatment ( p < 0.001). Conclusion The present study demonstrated the association of serum sPD-1 and sPD-L2 with SLE and suggests their usefulness as disease activity biomarkers for SLE.

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Systemic Lupus Erythematosus with and without Anti-dsDNA Antibodies: Analysis from a Large Monocentric Cohort

Mediators of Inflammation ◽

10.1155/2015/328078 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 2015 ◽

pp. 1-6 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Conti Fabrizio ◽

Ceccarelli Fulvia ◽

Perricone Carlo ◽

Massaro Laura ◽

Marocchi Elisa ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Systemic Lupus Erythematosus ◽

Disease Activity ◽

Lupus Erythematosus ◽

Clinical Laboratory ◽

Renal Involvement ◽

Serum Levels ◽

Activity Measurement ◽

Systemic Lupus ◽

Before And After ◽

Dsdna Antibodies

Objectives. The anti-dsDNA antibodies are a marker for Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE) and 70–98% of patients test positive. We evaluated the demographic, clinical, laboratory, and therapeutical features of a monocentric SLE cohort according to the anti-dsDNA status.Methods. We identified three groups: anti-dsDNA + (persistent positivity); anti-dsDNA ± (initial positivity and subsequent negativity during disease course); anti-dsDNA − (persistent negativity). Disease activity was assessed by the European Consensus Lupus Activity Measurement (ECLAM).Results. We evaluated 393 patients (anti-dsDNA +: 62.3%; anti-dsDNA ±: 13.3%; anti-dsDNA −: 24.4%). The renal involvement was significantly more frequent in anti-dsDNA + (30.2%), compared with anti-dsDNA ± and anti-dsDNA − (21.1% and 18.7%, resp.;P=0.001). Serositis resulted significantly more frequent in anti-dsDNA − (82.3%) compared to anti-dsDNA + and anti-dsDNA ± (20.8% and 13.4%, resp.;P<0.0001). The reduction of C4 serum levels was identified significantly more frequently in anti-dsDNA + and anti-dsDNA ± (40.0% and 44.2%, resp.) compared with anti-dsDNA − (21.8%,P=0.005). We did not identify significant differences in the mean ECLAM values before and after modification of anti-dsDNA status (P=0.7).Conclusion. Anti-dsDNA status influences the clinical and immunological features of SLE patients. Nonetheless, it does not appear to affect disease activity.

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Is there any correlation between high sensitive CRP and disease activity in systemic lupus erythematosus?

Lupus ◽

10.1177/0961203311418706 ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 20 (14) ◽

pp. 1494-1500 ◽

Cited By ~ 31

Author(s):

Z Rezaieyazdi ◽

M Sahebari ◽

MR Hatef ◽

B Abbasi ◽

H Rafatpanah ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Systemic Lupus Erythematosus ◽

Disease Activity ◽

Lupus Erythematosus ◽

Activity Index ◽

Serum Levels ◽

Enzyme Linked Immunosorbent Assay ◽

Healthy Controls ◽

Systemic Lupus ◽

Hs Crp

The role of C-reactive protein (CRP) in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) as an inflammatory marker is still controversial. Recently, more sensitive methods, such as high sensitive CRP (hs-CRP) have been used to detect micro-inflammation. The role of hs-CRP in lupus flare has not been documented well. We conducted this study to examine the correlation between hs-CRP serum concentrations and disease activity in lupus. Ninety-two SLE patients and 49 healthy controls contributed to our study. Most confounding factors influencing the hs-CRP values were excluded. Disease activity was estimated using the SLE Disease Activity Index (SLEDAI-2K). hs-CRP values were determined using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) kit. Serum values of hs-CRP were significantly higher ( p < 0.001, z = 3.29) in patients compared with healthy controls. The cutoff point for hs-CRP between patients and controls was 0.93 mg/L (Youden’s Index = 0.39). There was no correlation between hs-CRP serum levels and disease activity. Furthermore, hs-CRP values did not correlate with any of the laboratory parameters, except for C3 ( p = 0.003, rs = −0.2) and C4 ( p = 0.02, rs = −0.1). Although hs-CRP serum levels were significantly higher in lupus patients compared with healthy controls, it seems that this marker is not a good indicator for disease activity.

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Cathelicidin (LL-37) and its correlation with pro-oxidant, antioxidant balance and disease activity in systemic lupus erythematosus: a cross-sectional human study

Lupus ◽

10.1177/0961203317691368 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 26 (9) ◽

pp. 975-982 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

M Sahebari ◽

G Roshandel ◽

N Saadati ◽

M Saghafi ◽

N Abdolahi ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Systemic Lupus Erythematosus ◽

Disease Activity ◽

Lupus Erythematosus ◽

Human Study ◽

Serum Levels ◽

Inactive Disease ◽

Healthy Controls ◽

Systemic Lupus ◽

Positive Correlation ◽

Active Patients

Background Cathelicidin (LL-37), an endogenous antimicrobial peptide, has recently been involved in the pathogenesis of autoimmune diseases. To assess whether LL-37 reflects disease activity, we measured serum levels of it in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) patients with active and inactive disease compared to healthy controls. LL-37 was also compared between new and old cases. Moreover, the correlation of LL-37 and pro-oxidant, antioxidant balance (PAB) was measured. Methods The study population consisted of 50 SLE patients and 28 healthy controls. Of those, 39 patients had active and 11 patients had inactive disease. Serum levels of LL-37 were measured by ELISA and PAB values by a special method. Results There was no difference in levels of LL-37 between patients and healthy controls (50.9 ± 20.8 vs. 67.7 ± 43.3 ng/ml, P = 0.31). LL-37 did not correlate with SLEDAI and its items in total patients. LL-37 had a positive correlation with SLEDAI in active patients ( P = 0.01, r = 0.4). In active patients (78% of patients), multivariate regression analysis showed significant negative correlation between LL-37 and C3 ( P = 0.01, standardized beta –0.50). No difference was found in levels of PAB between patients and controls (90.4 ± 34.1 vs. 86.9 ± 25.6 HK, P = 0.4).There was no difference in the levels of PAB between patients with active and inactive disease (93.2 ± 34.1 vs. 80.2 ± 33.7 HK, P = 0.27). No correlation was found between levels of PAB and SLEDAI items and total score. However, a positive correlation between the levels of LL-37 and PAB in SLE patients was found ( r = 0.3, P < 0.01). Conclusion Based on this study, serum LL-37 and PAB did not increase in lupus compared with healthy individuals. LL-37 serum values rose in parallel with SLEDAI in active disease. Positive correlation between serum PAB and LL-37 could be a great achievement of this study that may suggest the role of antioxidants in controlling NETosis.

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Antibodies against carbamylated vimentin exist in systemic lupus erythematosus and correlate with disease activity

Lupus ◽

10.1177/0961203319897127 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 29 (3) ◽

pp. 239-247 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Y Li ◽

R Jia ◽

Y Liu ◽

S Tang ◽

X Ma ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Systemic Lupus Erythematosus ◽

Disease Activity ◽

Lupus Erythematosus ◽

Joint Damage ◽

Serum Levels ◽

Joint Involvement ◽

Healthy Controls ◽

Systemic Lupus ◽

Clinical Value ◽

Primary Sjögren Syndrome

Objectives Antibodies against carbamylated protein (anti-CarP) were found to be a promising marker to evaluate joint damage and disease activity in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). However, whether anti-CarP antibodies were present in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) remained ambiguous. We have therefore undertaken this study to assess the levels of serum anti-CarP antibodies and to evaluate their clinical value in SLE. Methods Serum levels of antibodies against carbamylated-vimentin (anti-Carp) were measured by enzyme immunosorbent assay in 100 patients with SLE, 76 with RA, 17 with primary Sjögren syndrome (pSS), and 68 healthy controls. Data analyses between anti-Carp antibodies and other laboratory measures were performed using SPSS 24 software for Windows. Results The levels of serum anti-CarP antibodies in patients with SLE were significantly higher than those in healthy controls. In addition, anti-CarP antibodies were present in SLE patients lacking the disease-specific antibodies, including anti-Smith–negative patients (24.4%, 21/86), anti-dsDNA–negative patients (29.3%, 12/41), anti-nucleosome–negative patients (21.4%, 9/42), and antiribosomal P protein antibody–negative patients (23.7%, 18/76). There were significant differences between the anti-CarP–positive and anti-CarP–negative SLE patients in clinical and laboratory features, such as age, erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), C-reactive protein, rheumatoid factor, third-generation cyclic citrullinated peptide (CCP3), anticardiolipin, D-dipolymer, complement 3, immunoglobulin G (IgG), red blood cell count (RBC) and hemoglobin. After adjusting for age and disease duration, the high levels of anti-CarP antibodies were still correlated with low RBC, hemoglobin and high ESR, IgG and CCP3. Active SLE patients demonstrated higher anti-CarP IgG than inactive patients. Moreover, the levels of anti-CarP were significantly higher in SLE patients with arthralgia and/or arthritis than in those without joint involvement. Conclusions Anti-CarP antibodies were present in SLE patients and associated with the disease severity. These might provide a potential supplement to other specific autoantibodies for diagnosis of SLE and serve as a promising marker for measuring joint damage in the disease.

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Pro-inflammatory S100 proteins are associated with glomerulonephritis and anti-dsDNA antibodies in systemic lupus erythematosus

Lupus ◽

10.1177/0961203316655208 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 26 (2) ◽

pp. 139-149 ◽

Cited By ~ 23

Author(s):

H Tydén ◽

C Lood ◽

B Gullstrand ◽

A Jönsen ◽

F Ivars ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Systemic Lupus Erythematosus ◽

Disease Activity ◽

Lupus Erythematosus ◽

Clinical Phenotype ◽

Elevated Serum ◽

Serum Levels ◽

Systemic Lupus ◽

Time Points ◽

Paired Samples ◽

Dsdna Antibodies

Objectives Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is associated with elevated levels of S100A8/A9, pro-inflammatory proteins mainly secreted by activated polymorphonuclear neutrophils (PMNs). The underlying mechanisms for increased S100A8/A9 levels and their relation to the clinical phenotype have not been carefully investigated. We assessed S100A8/A9 and S100A12 levels in SLE patient sera in relation to disease activity, clinical phenotype, presence of anti-dsDNA antibodies and ability to promote phagocytosis of necrotic cells (NCs) by PMNs. Methods Serum levels of S100A8/A9 and S100A12 were measured by ELISA in paired samples of 100 SLE patients at time points of higher and lower disease activity. Serum-mediated phagocytosis of NCs by PMNs was analysed by flow cytometry. Clinical data were recorded at time points of blood sampling. Results Serum levels of S100A8/A9 and S100A12 were increased in SLE patients with high disease activity compared to paired samples at low disease activity ( p = 0.01 and p = 0.008, respectively). Elevated levels of S100A8/A9 were particularly seen in patients with anti-dsDNA antibodies ( p = 0.01) and glomerulonephritis before treatment ( p = 0.02). Immunosuppressive therapy was associated with a reduction of S100A8/A9 serum levels ( p = 0.002). The ability of serum to support phagocytosis of NCs by PMNs was related to increased S100A8/A9 levels ( p = 0.01). Conclusions Elevated serum levels of S100A8/A9 may be used to monitor disease activity and response to treatment in SLE patients, especially in patients with glomerulonephritis. S100A12 may be a marker of disease activity in SLE. Increased S100A8/A9 levels may reflect immune-pathological processes involving phagocytosis of immune complexes by PMNs.

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Associations of the Levels of C4d-bearing Reticulocytes and High-avidity Anti-dsDNA Antibodies with Disease Activity in Systemic Lupus Erythematosus

The Journal of Rheumatology ◽

10.3899/jrheum.150486 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 43 (9) ◽

pp. 1657-1664 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Claudia Mora ◽

Jorge Medina-Rosas ◽

Ana Maria Santos ◽

Diego A. Jaimes ◽

Ana M. Arbeláez ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Systemic Lupus Erythematosus ◽

Disease Activity ◽

Lupus Erythematosus ◽

Activity Index ◽

Disease Activity Index ◽

Serum Levels ◽

High Avidity ◽

Systemic Lupus ◽

Care Clinic ◽

Dsdna Antibodies

Objective.There are no laboratory tools that detect early flares in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Our aim was to validate in our population the previous findings of the association of C4d-bearing reticulocytes (R-C4d) compared to anti-dsDNA antibodies, with disease activity assessed by the Safety of Estrogens in Lupus Erythematosus National Assessment–Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Disease Activity Index (SELENA-SLEDAI) and the British Isles Lupus Assessment Group (BILAG) 2004 scales.Methods.All patients who met the 1987 American College of Rheumatology classification criteria and were seen consecutively in 2013 at a specialized SLE care clinic were included. Disease activity was established by the SELENA-SLEDAI and BILAG 2004. Anti-dsDNA and R-C4d were quantified in peripheral blood. Comparisons were made between values of active and inactive patients, and the correlations between the SELENA-SLEDAI and serum levels of anti-dsDNA and R-C4d were measured.Results.Sixty-two patients (83.9% women) were included. A total of 32.3% had active disease according to the SELENA-SLEDAI. There was a significant statistical difference (p = 0.0001) in the distribution of R-C4d between disease activity groups. The correlation coefficient between R-C4d and the SELENA-SLEDAI score was rs = 0.738 (p = 0.0001). R-C4d differed between patients with and without activity in the BILAG 2004 constitutional, mucocutaneous, gastrointestinal, renal, and hematological domains.Conclusion.R-C4d showed a higher correlation with SLE activity measured by the SELENA-SLEDAI and BILAG 2004 than anti-dsDNA did, suggesting a possible involvement in diagnosing disease activity. Prospective studies that confirm these findings and evaluate its involvement in followup are needed.

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Phagocyte-specific S100A8/A9 Protein Levels During Disease Exacerbations and Infections in Systemic Lupus Erythematosus

The Journal of Rheumatology ◽

10.3899/jrheum.081302 ◽

2009 ◽

Vol 36 (10) ◽

pp. 2190-2194 ◽

Cited By ~ 60

Author(s):

MUHAMMAD S. SOYFOO ◽

JOHANNES ROTH ◽

THOMAS VOGL ◽

ROLAND POCHET ◽

GUY DECAUX

Keyword(s):

Rheumatoid Arthritis ◽

Systemic Lupus Erythematosus ◽

Disease Activity ◽

Lupus Erythematosus ◽

Calcium Binding ◽

Activity Index ◽

Sandwich Elisa ◽

Serum Levels ◽

Healthy Controls ◽

Systemic Lupus

Objective:S100A8 and S100A9 are calcium binding proteins of the S100 family highly expressed in neutrophils and monocytes. S100 proteins are novel ligands of TLR4 important in modulating inflammation. High levels of S100A8/A9 found in human inflammatory diseases are a marker of disease activity in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and juvenile rheumatoid arthritis (JRA). We determined levels of S100A8/A9 in sera of patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and analyzed their relation to clinical variables of disease activity.Methods.A group of 93 patients with SLE were studied over a period of 3 years, and 143 serum samples were analyzed. S100A8/A9 serum concentrations were determined by a sandwich ELISA. Sera from 10 primary Sjögren’s syndrome (pSS) patients and 50 healthy volunteers were used as controls. Correlations to SLEDAI, ANA, anti-dsDNA, WBC, CH50, C4, and CRP were made. In addition, infections were recorded in all SLE patients.Results.Serum levels of S100A8/A9 were significantly (p = 0.04) higher in SLE patients (1412 ± 664 ng/ml) versus healthy controls (339 ± 35 ng/ml) and pSS patients (400 ± 85 ng/ml). The only significant correlation (r = 0.219; p = 0.015) was found was between S100A8/A9 and SLEDAI. Further, SLE patients with concomitant infections had higher serum levels of S100A8/A9 (39300 ± 13375 ng/ml) than those without infections (1150 ± 422 ng/ml).Conclusion.Serum levels of S100A8/A9 are significantly raised in SLE versus pSS patients and healthy controls and can be correlated to a disease activity index. S100A8/A9 is a more relevant marker of infection in SLE patients.

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Tim-3 associated with apoptotic NK cells and disease activity in SLE

European Journal of Inflammation ◽

10.1177/20587392211000570 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 19 ◽

pp. 205873922110005

Author(s):

Di Zhao ◽

Xiao Yang ◽

Jie Zhang ◽

Yi Zhang

Keyword(s):

Systemic Lupus Erythematosus ◽

Flow Cytometry ◽

T Cell ◽

Disease Activity ◽

Nk Cells ◽

Lupus Erythematosus ◽

Healthy Controls ◽

Systemic Lupus ◽

Potential Target

T cell immunoglobulin and mucin domain-containing molecule-3 (Tim-3) has been found to play important roles in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), however, whether Tim-3 is involved in apoptosis of NK cells in SLE remains unknown. The proportion of CD3−CD56+ NK cells and the percentage of AnnexinV+ NK cells were analyzed by flow cytometry in SLE patients and healthy controls. Tim-3 expression on NK cells was also evaluated by flow cytometry. We firstly observed a decreased proportion of NK cells and an increased proportion of apoptotic NK cells in SLE patients. The proportion of apoptotic NK cells was positively correlated with anti-dsDNA and SLEDAI. Tim-3 expression on NK cells was up-regulated in SLE patients. Further analysis showed that Tim-3 expression on NK cells was negatively correlated with the proportion of apoptotic NK cells, anti-dsDNA and SLEDAI, while positively correlated with the proportion of NK cells. The present results suggest that Tim-3 might play roles in SLE by regulating the apoptosis of NK cells and Tim-3 might serve as a potential target for the treatment of SLE.

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Elevated levels of IL-24 in systemic lupus erythematosus patients

Lupus ◽

10.1177/0961203319845476 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 28 (6) ◽

pp. 748-754 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

R C Li ◽

J Guo ◽

L C Su ◽

A F Huang

Keyword(s):

Systemic Lupus Erythematosus ◽

Disease Activity ◽

Lupus Erythematosus ◽

Inflammatory Cytokine ◽

Activity Index ◽

Clinical Manifestations ◽

Mrna Levels ◽

Healthy Controls ◽

Systemic Lupus ◽

Good Ability

Objective This study aimed to assess IL-24 levels and their association with clinical manifestations in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Methods There were 75 patients with SLE and 58 healthy controls recruited in this study. Serum levels of IL-24 were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays, and mRNA levels of IL-24 were tested by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction . The area under the curve of the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was used for diagnostic ability of the inflammatory cytokine. Results Serum IL-24 levels were significantly higher in SLE patients than that in healthy controls. SLE patients with nephritis had higher IL-24 levels than those without nephritis. Active SLE patients showed higher expression of IL-24 as compared to less active disease patients. The mRNA levels of IL-24 were much higher in SLE patients. Correlation analysis showed significant correlation between serum IL-24 levels and SLE disease activity index. In addition, ROC analysis may suggest good ability of serum IL-24 in differentiating SLE. Conclusion The inflammatory cytokine correlated with SLE disease activity, and may be involved in this disease pathogenesis.

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Sustained high expression of multiple APOBEC3 cytidine deaminases in systemic lupus erythematosus

Scientific Reports ◽

10.1038/s41598-021-87024-1 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Danielle Perez-Bercoff ◽

Hélène Laude ◽

Morgane Lemaire ◽

Oliver Hunewald ◽

Valérie Thiers ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Systemic Lupus Erythematosus ◽

Cell Death ◽

Lupus Erythematosus ◽

Immunosuppressive Treatment ◽

Elevated Serum ◽

Serum Levels ◽

Chronic Inflammatory Disease ◽

Mrna Levels ◽

Systemic Lupus ◽

Inflammatory Conditions

AbstractAPOBEC3 (A3) enzymes are best known for their role as antiviral restriction factors and as mutagens in cancer. Although four of them, A3A, A3B, A3F and A3G, are induced by type-1-interferon (IFN-I), their role in inflammatory conditions is unknown. We thus investigated the expression of A3, and particularly A3A and A3B because of their ability to edit cellular DNA, in Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE), a chronic inflammatory disease characterized by high IFN-α serum levels. In a cohort of 57 SLE patients, A3A and A3B, but also A3C and A3G, were upregulated ~ 10 to 15-fold (> 1000-fold for A3B) compared to healthy controls, particularly in patients with flares and elevated serum IFN-α levels. Hydroxychloroquine, corticosteroids and immunosuppressive treatment did not reverse A3 levels. The A3AΔ3B polymorphism, which potentiates A3A, was detected in 14.9% of patients and in 10% of controls, and was associated with higher A3A mRNA expression. A3A and A3B mRNA levels, but not A3C or A3G, were correlated positively with dsDNA breaks and negatively with lymphopenia. Exposure of SLE PBMCs to IFN-α in culture induced massive and sustained A3A levels by 4 h and led to massive cell death. Furthermore, the rs2853669 A > G polymorphism in the telomerase reverse transcriptase (TERT) promoter, which disrupts an Ets-TCF-binding site and influences certain cancers, was highly prevalent in SLE patients, possibly contributing to lymphopenia. Taken together, these findings suggest that high baseline A3A and A3B levels may contribute to cell frailty, lymphopenia and to the generation of neoantigens in SLE patients. Targeting A3 expression could be a strategy to reverse cell death and the generation of neoantigens.

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