Elevated expression of hsa_circ_0000479 in neutrophils correlates with features of systemic lupus erythematosus

Abstract

Objective

Accumulating evidence suggests that differentially expressed circular RNAs (circRNAs) play critical roles in immune cells of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) patients. Hsa_circ_0000479 has been studied in the field of cancer and infection, whereas seldom studied in autoimmune diseases. The aim of this study was to investigate the role and clinical value of neutrophil hsa_circ_0000479 in SLE.

Methods

The expression levels of hsa_circ_0000479 in both healthy individuals and SLE patients’ neutrophils were detected by qPCR and compared with those in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) . In addition, the correlation of hsa_circ_0000479 levels in neutrophils with the clinical and immunological features of SLE patients was also analysed.

Results

The expression levels of hsa_circ_0000479 in the patients with SLE were significantly higher in neutrophils than that of PBMCs, and also significantly higher than that in healthy controls (HCs). Moreover, the expression levels of hsa_circ_0000479 in neutrophils were negatively associated with absolute neutrophil count and complement 3 (C3), whereas positively correlated with anti-dsDNA and anti-nucleosome antibodies in SLE. In addition, SLE patients with higher levels of hsa_circ_0000479 demonstrated more several clinical manifestations, including Raynaud’s phenomenon, alopecia and leucopenia.

Conclusions

Hsa_circ_0000479 is up-regulated in neutrophils of SLE patients, and is also associated with several important laboratory indicators and clinical manifestations, suggesting that hsa_circ_0000479 in neutrophils was one of probable factors involved in the pathogenesis of SLE with potential clinical value.

Key messages

1. Hsa_circ_0000479 was expressed in neutrophils and was considerably higher than that of PBMCs in SLE patients.

2. The neutrophil hsa_circ_0000479 was correlated with laboratory parameters, including NEUT, C3, anti-dsDNA antibodies and AnuA, in addition to being associated with Raynaud’s phenomenon, alopecia, and leucopenia in patients with SLE.

3. Hsa_circ_0000479 in neutrophils may play an influential role in SLE patients and will be important to understand the pathogenesis, stratification and treatment in SLE.

Keywords:

• Hsa_circ_0000479
• systemic lupus erythematous
• neutrophils

Disclosure statement

The authors declare that they have no competing interests.

Author contributions

RY performed the experiments, analysed the data and prepared the manuscript. YS and FH conceived and designed the study, reviewed and edited the manuscript. LX, GC, ZW, RL, WP, LC, YJ and HY contributed to reagents/materials/analysis.

Data availability statement

Data supporting the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.

Additional information

Funding

The study was supported by grants from the National Natural Science Foundation of China (81871290 to Dr Y. Su, 81871281 to Dr Y. Jia, 82171773 and 81971523 to Dr F. Hu), the Beijing Nova Program (Z181100006218044 and Z211100002121163 to Dr F. Hu) and the Beijing Science and Technology Planning Project (Z191100006619111 to Dr Y. Su, Z191100006619109 to Dr H.Ye).