A T cell gene expression panel for the diagnosis and monitoring of disease activity in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus

Alexandros P Grammatikos; Vasileios C Kyttaris; Katalin Kis-Toth; Lisa M Fitzgerald; Amy Devlin; Michele D Finnell; George C Tsokos

doi:10.1016/j.clim.2013.12.002

A T cell gene expression panel for the diagnosis and monitoring of disease activity in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus

Clin Immunol. 2014 Feb;150(2):192-200. doi: 10.1016/j.clim.2013.12.002. Epub 2013 Dec 16.

Authors

Alexandros P Grammatikos¹, Vasileios C Kyttaris², Katalin Kis-Toth³, Lisa M Fitzgerald⁴, Amy Devlin⁵, Michele D Finnell⁶, George C Tsokos⁷

Affiliations

¹ Division of Rheumatology, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, 02215, USA. Electronic address: agramma1@bidmc.harvard.edu.
² Division of Rheumatology, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, 02215, USA. Electronic address: vkyttari@bidmc.harvard.edu.
³ Division of Rheumatology, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, 02215, USA. Electronic address: kkistoth@bidmc.harvard.edu.
⁴ Division of Rheumatology, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, 02215, USA. Electronic address: lfitzge2@bidmc.harvard.edu.
⁵ Division of Rheumatology, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, 02215, USA. Electronic address: adevlin@bidmc.harvard.edu.
⁶ Division of Rheumatology, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, 02215, USA. Electronic address: mfinnell@bidmc.harvard.edu.
⁷ Division of Rheumatology, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, 02215, USA. Electronic address: gtsokos@bidmc.harvard.edu.

Abstract

Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE) remains a challenging disease to diagnose and follow, as no reliable biomarkers are known to date. We designed a gene expression panel with 40 genes known to play a role in SLE pathogenesis. We found that the combined expression of these genes in SLE T cells can accurately differentiate SLE from healthy individuals and patients with other autoimmune diseases. The accuracy of the test increased further (83%) when only three out of the initial genes (OAS2, CD70 and IL10) were used. A T cell score, calculated from the combined expression levels of these genes, correlated positively with various SLE activity markers in a cross-sectional cohort and in a few patients that were followed prospectively. These data showcase the usefulness of measuring mRNA levels of key molecules in diagnosing and following patients with SLE.

Keywords: Biomarkers; CD70; Diagnostic; Flare; IL10; OAS2.

Publication types

Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural

MeSH terms

2',5'-Oligoadenylate Synthetase / genetics
Adult
Aged
Arthritis, Rheumatoid / genetics
Arthritis, Rheumatoid / immunology
Biomarkers
CD27 Ligand / genetics
Case-Control Studies
Cross-Sectional Studies
Female
Gene Expression Regulation*
Humans
Interleukin-10 / genetics
Leukocytes, Mononuclear / immunology
Leukocytes, Mononuclear / metabolism
Lupus Erythematosus, Systemic / diagnosis
Lupus Erythematosus, Systemic / genetics*
Lupus Erythematosus, Systemic / immunology*
Male
Middle Aged
T-Lymphocyte Subsets / immunology*
T-Lymphocyte Subsets / metabolism*
Transcriptome

Substances

Biomarkers
CD27 Ligand
Interleukin-10
2',5'-Oligoadenylate Synthetase

Abstract

Publication types

MeSH terms

Substances

Grants and funding