Sun Ling-Yun, Zhou Kang-Xin, Feng Xue-Bing, Zhang Hua-Yong, Ding Xue-Qin, Jin Ou, Lu Li-Wei, Lau Chak-Sing, Hou Ya-Yi, Fan Le-Ming
Department of Rheumatology, The Affiliated Drum Tower Hospital, Nanjing University Medical School, 321# Zhongshan Road, Nanjing, 210008, People's Republic of China.
Division of Rheumatology, Queen Mary Hospital, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, People's Republic of China.
Clin Rheumatol. 2007 Dec;26(12):2073-2079. doi: 10.1007/s10067-007-0621-2. Epub 2007 Apr 20.
Defects of hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) have been suggested to contribute to the development of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). The aim of this study was to investigate the phenotypic characteristics of bone marrow (BM) CD34(+) cells in patients with SLE and its relationship with SLE disease activity. Ten SLE patients and 10 healthy subjects were recruited and their BM CD34(+) cells were analyzed by flow cytometric analysis with CD45/SSC gating for the expression of CD90, CD95, CD117, CD123, CD164, CD166, FAS-L, and HLA-DR. The percentage of BM CD34(+) cells was significantly decreased in active SLE patients (1.48 +/- 0.41%, n = 7) compared to the healthy controls (2.31 +/- 0.75%, n = 10, p < 0.01), but no significant difference was found between the inactive patients (2.04 +/- 0.44%, n = 3) and the controls. The expression of CD95, CD123, and CD166 on BM CD34(+) cells were significantly increased in SLE patients (48.31 +/- 10.59%, 44.9 +/- 21.5%, 30.9 +/- 19.54%, respectively, n = 10) when compared with the control subjects (24.33 +/- 11.1%, 19.5 +/- 4.4%, 10.7 +/- 5.5%, respectively, n = 10, p < 0.05). The increased CD123 expression was negatively correlated with the number of peripheral white blood cells (r = -0.700, p < 0.05, n = 10). The percentage of CD166 expression was found significantly correlated with the index of SLE disease activity (r = 0.472, p < 0.05, n = 10) and 24 h proteinuria (r = 0.558, p < 0.05, n = 10), but negatively correlated with serum C3 level (r = -0.712, p < 0.01, n = 10). Our study found that the surface marker expression of CD95, CD123, and CD166 on BM CD34(+) cells were significantly increased in patients. This supports the hypothesis that there are abnormalities of the HSC in SLE. Since CD166 and CD123 correlated with the overall lupus activity, their role as a biomarker of inflammatory disease activity also requires further study.
造血干细胞（HSCs）缺陷被认为与系统性红斑狼疮（SLE）的发病有关。本研究旨在探讨SLE患者骨髓（BM）CD34(+)细胞的表型特征及其与SLE疾病活动度的关系。招募了10例SLE患者和10名健康受试者，采用流式细胞术分析其BM CD34(+)细胞，通过CD45/SSC门控检测CD90、CD95、CD117、CD123、CD164、CD166、FAS-L和HLA-DR的表达。与健康对照组（2.31±0.75%，n = 10，p < 0.01）相比，活动期SLE患者（1.48±0.41%，n = 7）的BM CD34(+)细胞百分比显著降低，但非活动期患者（2.04±0.44%，n = 3）与对照组之间无显著差异。与对照组受试者（分别为24.33±11.1%、19.5±4.4%、10.7±5.5%，n = 10）相比，SLE患者BM CD34(+)细胞上CD95、CD123和CD166的表达显著增加（分别为48.31±10.59%、44.9±21.5%、30.9±19.54%，n = 10，p < 0.05）。CD123表达增加与外周血白细胞数量呈负相关（r = -0.700，p < 0.05，n = 10）。发现CD166表达百分比与SLE疾病活动指数显著相关（r = 0.472，p < 0.05，n = 10）和24小时蛋白尿（r = 0.558，p < 0.05，n = 10）有关，但与血清C3水平呈负相关（r = -0.712，p < 0.01，n = 10）。我们的研究发现，患者BM CD34(+)细胞上CD95、CD123和CD166的表面标志物表达显著增加。这支持了SLE中存在造血干细胞异常的假说。由于CD166和CD123与狼疮总体活动相关，它们作为炎症性疾病活动生物标志物的作用也需要进一步研究。
