Molecular Basis of Deficient IL-2 Production in T Cells from Patients with Systemic Lupus Erythematosus

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a multifactorial autoimmune disease characterized by diverse cellular and biochemical aberrations, including decreased production of IL-2. Here we show that nuclear extracts from unstimulated SLE T cells, unlike extracts from normal T cells, express increased amounts of phosphorylated cAMP-responsive element modulator (p-CREM) that binds the -180 site of the IL-2 promoter. Nuclear extracts from stimulated normal T cells display increased binding of phosphorylated cAMP-responsive element binding protein (p-CREB) to the -180 site of the IL-2 promoter, whereas nuclear extracts from stimulated SLE T cells display primarily p-CREM and decreased p-CREB binding. In SLE T cells, p-CREM bound to the transcriptional coactivators, CREB binding protein and p300. Increased expression of p-CREM correlated with decreased production of IL-2. The transcription of a reporter gene driven by the -180 site was enhanced in normal T cells, but was suppressed in SLE T cells. These experiments demonstrate that transcriptional repression is responsible for the decreased production of IL-2 by SLE T cells.