SLC7A5 expression is up-regulated in peripheral blood T and B lymphocytes of systemic lupus erythematosus patients, associating with renal damage

Abstract

Metabolic reprogramming of immune cells has been proven to be important for systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). This study aims to understand the role of SLC7A5, an amino acid transporter, in SLE. We analyzed SLC7A5 mRNA expression of SLE patients compared to healthy controls using GEO database, and found that it was increased in CD4⁺ T cells and CD19⁺ B cells. We then confirmed the expression up-regulation using flow cytometry and found that the proportion of SLC7A5⁺ cells and its expression were increased in peripheral blood T and B cells from SLE patients. Importantly, SLC7A5 expression in T and B cells was positively correlated with blood urea nitrogen and serum creatinine. Therefore, we conclude that SLC7A5, up-regulating in circulating T and B cells, correlates with kidney function, suggesting its potential role in mediating renal damage in SLE, which provides novel insight into SLE pathogenesis and provides a potential biomarker for disease.

Keywords: B cells; Lupus nephritis; SLC7A5; SLE; T cells.