Immunophenotyping Reveals Distinct Subgroups of Lupus Patients Based on Their Activated T Cell Subsets

Overview

Journal Clin Immunol

Specialty Allergy & Immunology

Date 2020 Oct 2

PMID 33007439

Citations 10

Authors

Daniel J Perry

Anton A Titov

Eric S Sobel

Todd M Brusko

Laurence Morel

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Objective: This study performed an integrated analysis of the cellular and transcriptional differences in peripheral immune cells between patients with Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE) and healthy controls (HC).

Methods: Peripheral blood was analyzed using standardized flow cytometry panels. Transcriptional analysis of CD4 T cells was performed by microarrays and Nanostring assays.

Results: SLE CD4 T cells showed an increased expression of oxidative phosphorylation and immunoregulatory genes. SLE patients presented higher frequencies of activated CD38HLA-DR T cells than HC. Hierarchical clustering identified a group of SLE patients among which African Americans were overrepresented, with highly activated T cells, and higher frequencies of Th1, Tfh, and plasmablast cells. T cell activation was positively correlated with metabolic gene expression in SLE patients but not in HC.

Conclusions: SLE subjects presenting with activated T cells and a hyperactive metabolic signature may represent an opportunity to correct aberrant immune activation through targeted metabolic inhibitors.

Citing Articles

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