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Frequency and functional activity of Th17, Tc17 and other T-cell subsets in Systemic Lupus Erythematosus

2010; Elsevier BV; Volume: 264; Issue: 1 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1016/j.cellimm.2010.05.004

1090-2163

Ana Henriques, Luís Inês, Maura Couto, Susana Pedreiro, Catarina Santos, Mariana Magalhães, Paulo Rodrigues‐Santos, Isabel Velada, Anabela Almeida, Tiago Carvalheiro, Paula Laranjeira, José Mário Morgado, Maria Luísa Pais, José António Pereira da Silva, Artur Paiva,

Monoclonal and Polyclonal Antibodies Research

To compare frequency and functional activity of peripheral blood (PB) Th(c)17, Th(c)1 and Treg cells and the amount of type 2 cytokines mRNA we recruited SLE patients in active (n = 15) and inactive disease (n = 19) and healthy age- and gender-matched controls (n = 15). The study of Th(c)17, Th(c)1 and Treg cells was done by flow cytometry and cytokine mRNA by real-time PCR. Compared to NC, SLE patients present an increased proportion of Th(c)17 cells, but with lower amounts of IL-17 per cell and also a decreased frequency of Treg, but with increased production of TGF-β and FoxP3 mRNA. Ιn active compared to inactive SLE, there is a marked decreased in frequency of Th(c)1 cells, an increased production of type 2 cytokines mRNA and a distinct functional profile of Th(c)17 cells. Our findings suggest a functional disequilibrium of T-cell subsets in SLE which may contribute to the inflammatory process and disease pathogenesis.