C-myc gene binding factors in peripheral blood mononuclear cells from patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE).

We characterized the nuclear proteins with specific binding ability against c-myc gene by gel-shift assay in cell extracts of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) from SLE patients and SLE-prone mice with use of distinct c-myc fragments. With the fragment named Fmyc in our experiments, two kinds of complexes which we call C1 and C2 respectively were found in PBMC from SLE patients and SLE-prone mice. The C1 was shown to be inducible in PBMC from healthy persons without nascent protein synthesis after lectin binding to the cell and found to be elevated in the SLE patients and in all of the established cell lines we examined. The C2 seemed to be peculiar to SLE subjects. The binding site of the C1 factor (C1F) and C2 factor (C2F) which forms C1 and C2 respectively with Fmyc appeared to be common and were found to reside at 51 kbp sequence (from XhoI to Sau3A) of exon I of c-myc gene. Interestingly, XhoI site of the binding site was highly demethylated in PBMC of SLE patients as compared with healthy persons. The roles of these binding factors for the pathogenesis of SLE are discussed.     

Analysis of autoantibody specificities in selected systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) sera

In order to design effective diagnostics for lupus, the heterogeneity in patient response must be understood. This heterogeneity in the anti-Sm and anti-U1-RNP response was examined via a frequency analysis of autoantibody fine specificities. Thus, 275 sera were studied by immunoprecipitation, immunoblotting, and immunodiffusion, and the frequency of occurrence of different autoantibodies to individual snRNP polypeptides and to other HeLa cell polypeptides was determined. The sera were found to contain autoantibodies reactive with denatured as well as native forms of HeLa-cell polypeptides. The common occurrence of several novel antibody fine specificities was noted, such as anti-p45 (different from anti-La/SS-B), anti-p105, and anti-p115. Another group of autoantibodies that is apparently not disease associated was observed in both lupus and normal sera.     

Characterization of anti-endothelial cell antibodies in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE).

IgG anti-endothelial antibodies (AEA), as measured by ELISA or immunoblotting technique could be detected in serum samples of 56 out of 64 patients with SLE (88%) and mainly occurred in monomeric form. AEA were not cell specific, because the binding reactivity was absorbed partially by both fibroblasts and peripheral blood mononuclear cells. No correlation was found between the presence of AEA and anti-nuclear antibodies. Immunoblotting revealed reactivity of AEA against endothelial antigens ranging in size from 15 to 200 kD. AEA titres were significantly higher in patients with joint or skin abnormalities, compared with patients without these abnormalities. A significant correlation was found between nephritis in SLE and the presence of AEA reactivity against endothelial membrane antigens of 38, 41 and 150 kD. These data show that the pattern of AEA reactivity in serum of SLE patients is heterogeneous, and suggest that AEA against a limited number of antigens may be involved in the pathogenesis of nephritis in SLE.     

Antibody penetration into living cells. I. Intranuclear immunoglobulin in peripheral blood mononuclear cells in mixed connective tissue disease and systemic lupus erythematosus.

We have shown recently (Alarcón-Segovia, Ruíz-Argüelles & Fishbein, 1978) that an IgG anti-RNP antibody obtained from a patient with mixed connective tissue disease (MCTD) can penetrate viable mononuclear cells (MNC) from normal donors via their Fc receptors. Live MNC from twelve MCTD patients incubated with goat anti-Ig antibody had intranuclear antibody with a speckled pattern in a mean of 5.5% of all MNC and 57.3% of all Fc receptor-bearing MNC. We found intranuclear immunoglobulins in all twelve patients with MCTD which were present only in cells with Fc receptors. Only three out of twenty-one patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) were found to have intranuclear antibody in a mean of 17.2% of their Fc receptor-bearing cells. Further experiments with MNC from SLE patients revealed a partial blocking of penetration of antibody via Fc receptors. MNC from ten scleroderma, ten rheumatoid arthritis patients and eleven normal controls did not have intranuclear immunoglobulin. In vivo penetration of autoantibodies into Fc receptor-bearing cells in MCTD, and probably in SLE as well, may represent an important pathogenetic mechanism.     

C1 inhibitor functional deficiency in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE).

C1 inhibitor (C1-inh) was assayed in eight SLE patients presenting with consistently low levels of intact C4. C1-inh antigenic levels were normal in all patients; however, the function of the C1-inh tested against C1s and C1r was variable and outside the normal functional range in seven of the eight patients. The molecular weight of patients' C1-inh protein was 105 kD, corresponding to the size of the intact molecule. The C1-inh gene was analysed in all patients. Restriction fragments generated with TaqI, PstI and HgiAI gave no indication of a major C1-inh gene rearrangement. Direct genomic sequencing of exon VIII revealed three polymorphic point mutations, but there were no changes from the normal gene in or around the reactive-centre residue of C1-inh. Furthermore, we found no evidence for a C1-inh autoantibody in patients which could affect normal C1-inh function in vitro. These results indicate that the etiology of C1-inh dysfunction in SLE is heterogeneous and distinct from that reported in either hereditary or acquired angioedema.     

系统性红斑狼疮患者外周血白细胞介素15的研究

目的：检测系统性红斑狼疮（SLE）患者血清白细胞介素15（IL-15）水平及外周血单个核细胞（PBMC）IL-15mRNA表达，并进一步分析其临床意义。方法：IL-15检测采用ELISA方法；PBMCIL-15mRNA表达采用原位杂交法检测。结果：①SLE组患者血清IL-15水平显著高于正常对照组（P〈0．01），活动期SLE患者血清IL-15水平显著高于缓解期患者（P〈0．05）。②发生临床肾损害者IL-15水平明显高于无肾损害者（P〈0．05），出现血清抗dsDNA抗体阳性、低补体C3血症、高IgG血症者血清IL-15水平均分别显著高于无上述表现者。③SLE患者PBMCIL-15mRNA表达量明显高于正常对照组（P〈0．05），活动期SLE显著高于缓解期（P〈0．05）。④SLE患者PBMC培养上清IgG、IgM和抗dsDNA抗体浓度均显著高于正常对照组；SLE患者PBMCIL-15mRNA表达量与细胞培养上清的IgG及抗dsDNA抗体滴度均呈正相关关系（分别为r=0．645和r=0．715，P〈0．05），而与IgM．无相关关系（r=0．451，P〉0．05）。⑤SEE患者PBMCIL-15mRNA表达量与血清IL-15水平呈正相关关系（r=0．726，P〈0．05）。结论：SLE患者存在外周血IL-15蛋白和基因表达异常，且与其分泌免疫球蛋白和自身抗体有关，提示IL-15可能参与SLE的病理生理过程。     

Nuclear phosphotyrosyl-protein with DNA-binding ability in peripheral blood mononuclear cells from systemic lupus erythematosus patients.

This study examined the phosphorylation of cytoplasmic and nuclear proteins in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) patients. The cytoplasmic and nuclear protein kinase activity in PBMC from SLE patients was at least five-fold higher than that of normal healthy subjects. PBMC of SLE patients produced different nuclear endogenous substrates on phosphorylation and also displayed distinct protein kinase activity. Nuclear phosphoproteins, with human PBMC DNA-binding ability, of 38 kD and 70 kD were detected from both SLE patients and normal healthy subjects, while the 40 kD phosphoprotein, with tyrosine as the main phosphorylation residue, was found only in SLE patients. Other nuclear phosphoproteins, and most of the detected cytoplasmic phosphoproteins, were present in higher levels in both normal PBMC with mitogen stimulation, such as PHA, and SLE PBMC. The expression level of the 40 kD nuclear phosphotyrosyl-protein showed a positive correlation with the clinical disease activity of SLE. These results suggest that PBMC from SLE patients had distinct tyrosine protein kinase (TPK) activity and/or a different endogenous substrate of nuclear DNA-binding proteins in tyrosine phosphorylation. The possible significance of tyrosine phosphorylation in PBMC of SLE patients in the pathogenesis, and its clinical meaning, are discussed.     

Innate immune mechanisms in the pathogenesis of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE).

Immune imbalance in SLE increases the susceptibility to infectious diseases. The aim of this study was to analyze several mechanisms related to non-specific immunity in this autoimmune disorder. We studied in vivo CD11b expression, phagocytosis, and chemotaxis in polymorphonuclear cells (PMN) from SLE patients. All tests were also performed under hrIL-8 stimulating conditions and analyzed by flow cytometry. Intracellular leucocyte (monocytes and PMN) enzyme activity was evaluated using specific substrates for cathepsin B and D, collagenase, and oxidative burst by flow cytoenzymology. An exaggerated in vivo CD11b expression was observed on PMN from SLE patients without noticeably in vitro effect upon hrIL-8. Similarly both, phagocytosis and chemotaxis were diminished and showed no response to hrIL-8 stimulation. The opposite was found in PMN from controls. Intracellular enzyme activity was comparable between groups as far as cathepsin B and D are concerned. A tendency of decreased oxidative-burst induction was noted in monocytes and PMN from SLE patients, whereas collagenase activity was found clearly increased in both leucocyte subpopulations. Our results may represent a deficient ability of the innate immune mechanisms for the clearance of infectious agents, immune complexes, satisfactory resolution of inflammatory processes and tissue repair in SLE.     

DNA damage in mononuclear blood cells of patients with systemic lupus erythematosus

Alkaline electrophoresis of DNA in individual cells (the DNA comet method) showed that the mean DNA damage is increased in blood mononuclear cells and the proportion of cells containing damaged DNA is higher in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus than in healthy donors; the number of hypodiploid cells is increased, indicating intensified apoptosis. Translated fromByulleten' Eksperimental'noi Biologii i Meditsiny, Vol. 125, No. 1, pp. 75–78, January, 1998     

VH gene-family representation in peripheral activated B cells from systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) patients

A semiquantitative polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay described in this study has been used to analyse the V_H1, V_H3 and V_H4 repertoire expressed by total IgM⁺ and IgG⁺ B cells from normal individuals and lupus patients. This approach consists of a combination of B cell selection, utilization of the anchored PCR technique to avoid technical bias in the amplification of different V_H gene family cDNA templates, and screening of the amplified IgM or IgG cDNA rearrangements by family-specific oligonucleotide probes. In four lupus patients, V_H family representation in IgM⁺ and IgG⁺ in vivo activated B cells, selected by anti-CD71 antibody, and in total CD19⁺ B cells were compared. In all patients, V_H4 gene family segments were preferentially underrepresented in IgM⁺ activated B cells. In IgG⁺ B cells the results suggest that V_H4 expression is variable, depending on the phase of the disease. Polyclonal B cell activation, which is usually considered as being the first event in autoantibody production in SLE, cannot explain our results. The data evoke the possible involvement of a V_H4-specific B cell superantigen in the onset or development of SLE. This hypothesis is also supported by the sequence conservation of the fourth β loop—a putative superantigen binding site—of functional V_H4 gene segments which are preferentially used by anti-dsDNA lupus antibodies of established clones and hybridomas.     

Protooncogene expression in peripheral blood mononuclear cells from patients with systemic lupus erythematosus as an indicator of the disease activity

In the present study, we examined the various protooncogene expressions in PBMC (peripheral blood mononuclear cell) of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) patients to determine if they could be an indicator for the disease activity. We divided SLE patients into "very active," "active," and "remitting" states according to the clinical symptoms in addition to the laboratory data peculiar to SLE. In addition, we determined the amount of circulating immune complex (IC) as one of the representative laboratory indicators for the disease activity. We found a positive correlation with either c-myc or c-myb expression and the amounts of IC and clinical disease activity. The degree of c-myc and c-myb expression was significantly reduced along with or prior to the amelioration of clinical symptoms and improvement as determined by laboratory data under treatment with prednisolone and/or azathioprine administration. The degree of c-myc and c-myb gene expression had no direct relation to the presence of particular clinical sign(s) or autoantibody. The expression of the c-raf gene was found in SLE and other systemic autoallergic patients although it showed no correlation with the disease activity. No significant expression of c-src, c-ras, c-fos, c-fgr, c-fps, c-fes, c-fms, c-yes, c-rel, c-abl, c-mos, c-sis, and c-erb B genes was found in the patients. c-myc and c-myb expression as having pathogenic and clinical significance is discussed.     

系统性红斑狼疮患者外周血单个核细胞中急性期蛋白反应因子的表达

目的　探讨系统性红斑狼疮 (SLE)患者外周血单个核细胞 (PBMC)中急性期蛋白反应因子 (APRF)的活性水平 ,以及IL 6和IL 10对APRF表达的影响。方法　采用凝胶阻滞电泳 (EMSA)的方法检测 4 0例SLE患者及 2 0例正常对照组PBMC中DNA结合蛋白APRF的表达水平。结果　所有活动期SLE患者均出现APRF电泳条带 ,17例非活动期SLE患者中有 10例出现APRF条带 ,而正常人对照组无 1例出现。 7例未出现APRF电泳条带的非活动期SLE患者PBMC加IL 10处理后均出现不同程度的APRF表达 ,而加IL 6处理时仍未出现APRF电泳条带。结论　SLE患者存在APRF的异常表达。在SLE中 ,IL 10信号转导途径中的某些调控机制 (如蛋白激酶 )可能发生改变 ,从而使得核内的APRF激活转录 ,提示IL 10很可能是通过APRF在SLE的发病机制中起作用 ,相反IL 6在SLE发病的作用机制很可能与APRF无关。     

系统性红斑狼疮患者外周血单个核细胞RECK的表达及其与基质金属蛋白酶-9的关系

目的 探讨系统性红斑狼疮(SEE)患者PBMC RECK(reversion-inducing cysteine-richprotein with kazal motif)的表达及其与基质金属蛋白酶-9(MMP-9)的关系.方法 分别用Western blot及RT-PCR检测SLE患者及健康对照组PBMC上RECK的蛋白及mRNA水平,同时检测MMP-9mRNA的水平.加入植物血凝素(PHA)刺激后检测3者的表达变化及刺激后MMP-9的分泌情况并与空白对照组比较.结果 与健康对照组相比,患者组RECK蛋白及mRNA水平降低,MMP-9 mRNA水平增高,分泌MMP-9的能力高于健康对照组.与空白对照相比,PHA刺激后,患者组及对照组RECK蛋白及mRNA表达均降低,MMP-9 mRNA水平升高,MMP-9分泌均增多.RECK的表达与MMP-9的分泌呈负相关.结论 RECK可能通过抑制MMP-9的分泌在SEE发病过程中起重要作用,对其的调控可望为SLE治疗提供新的方向.