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Increased Expression of Soluble Cytotoxic T‐Lymphocyte‐Associated Antigen‐4 Molecule in Patients with Systemic Lupus Erythematosus
Author(s) -
Liu M.F.,
Wang C.R.,
Chen P.C.,
Fung L.L.
Publication year - 2003
Publication title -
scandinavian journal of immunology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.934
H-Index - 88
eISSN - 1365-3083
pISSN - 0300-9475
DOI - 10.1046/j.1365-3083.2003.01232.x
Subject(s) - immunology , peripheral blood mononuclear cell , cytotoxic t cell , antigen , lupus erythematosus , pathogenesis , medicine , lymphocyte , immune system , systemic lupus erythematosus , antibody , disease , biology , in vitro , biochemistry
A soluble form of cytotoxic T‐lymphocyte‐associated antigen‐4 (sCTLA‐4) was recently found and shown to possess a downregulatory function as a membrane‐bound CTLA‐4 molecule. The purpose of the study was to investigate the expression of sCTLA‐4 molecule in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). One hundred patients with SLE and 40 age‐ and sex‐matched healthy individuals were enrolled in the study. The results showed that patients with SLE have significantly higher levels of sCTLA‐4 in sera than healthy controls (21.6 ± 12.3 ng/ml versus 5.9 ± 5.4 ng/ml, P < 0.001). Increased expression of sCTLA‐4 mRNA in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) was also found in SLE patients. However, we could not find a statistically significant correlation between the serum levels of sCTLA‐4 and lupus disease activities. The reported CTLA‐4 gene polymorphism in promoter region at position −318 did not affect the levels of sCTLA‐4. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report showing that patients with SLE have increased sCTLA‐4 expression. However, the mechanism and role of increased sCTLA‐4 in the pathogenesis of SLE remains elucidated.