The effect of BLyS on the activity of peripheral B lymphocytes mediated by BLyS receptors in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus

Abstract

The study was promoted to probe into the effect of BLyS on the activity of peripheral B lymphocytes mediated by BLyS receptors in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Thirty new-onset patients having fulfilled the American College of Rheumatology (ACR) revised criteria for the diagnosis of SLE. Twenty age-matched healthy volunteers were recruited for this study. Peripheral blood samples were used to analyze the expression of BLyS protein and related receptors (BR₃, TACI), to detect peripheral B cell subpopulations of different phases. Clinical disease activity was evaluated according to the systemic lupus erythematosus disease activity index (SLEDAI-2000). The percentage of CD₁₉⁺CD₅⁺, CD₁₉⁺CD₂₇⁺, CD₁₉⁺CD₃₈⁺ and total CD₁₉⁺ in the peripheral blood is significantly higher in SLE patients than that in healthy controls (p < 0.01). BLyS concentrations and TACI expression are up-regulated in SLE patients (p < 0.01) while BR₃ showed no differences between the two groups (p > 0.05). BLyS concentrations and TACI MFI both showed positive correlation with SLEDAI (r² = 0.391, p < 0.001, r² = 0.339, p = 0.001), whereas BR₃ expression showed no relationship with SLEDAI. The disorders of peripheral B cell subsets maybe reflect the effect of BLyS on the activity of peripheral B lymphocytes mediated by BLyS receptors. The significant up-regulation of BLyS and its receptors, especially TACI may serve as a target for the treatment of SLE.

Key Words::

• B cell
• BLyS
• BR₃
• trans-membrane activator-1 and calcium modulator and cyclophilin ligand-interactor
• systemic lupus erythematosus

Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank all patients who participated in the study. We thank Dr Jiajia Li for technical assistance.

Declaration of interest: The authors report no conflicts of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of the paper. This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant no. 30973543.