Wu Ying-Yu, Georg Ina, Díaz-Barreiro Alejandro, Varela Nieves, Lauwerys Bernard, Kumar Ramesh, Bagavant Harini, Castillo-Martín Mireia, El Salem Fadi, Marañón Concepción, Alarcón-Riquelme Marta E
Arthritis and Clinical Immunology Program, Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation, Oklahoma City, OK 73104;
Centre for Genomics and Oncological Research (GENYO), Pfizer-University of Granada-Andalusian Regional Government, Health Sciences Technology Park, Granada 18016, Spain;
J Immunol. 2015 Jun 15;194(12):5692-702. doi: 10.4049/jimmunol.1402736. Epub 2015 May 13.
Polymorphisms in the B lymphoid tyrosine kinase (BLK) gene have been associated with autoimmune diseases, including systemic lupus erythematosus, with risk correlating with reduced expression of BLK. How reduced expression of BLK causes autoimmunity is unknown. Using Blk(+/+) , Blk(+/-) , and Blk(-/-) mice, we show that aged female Blk(+/-) and Blk(-/-) mice produced higher anti-dsDNA IgG Abs and developed immune complex-mediated glomerulonephritis, compared with Blk(+/+) mice. Starting at young age, Blk(+/-) and Blk(-/-) mice accumulated increased numbers of splenic B1a cells, which differentiated into class-switched CD138(+) IgG-secreting B1a cells. Increased infiltration of B1a-like cells into the kidneys was also observed in aged Blk(+/-) and Blk(-/-) mice. In humans, we found that healthy individuals had BLK genotype-dependent levels of anti-dsDNA IgG Abs as well as increased numbers of a B1-like cell population, CD19(+)CD3(-)CD20(+)CD43(+)CD27(+), in peripheral blood. Furthermore, we describe the presence of B1-like cells in the tubulointerstitial space of human lupus kidney biopsies. Taken together, our study reveals a previously unappreciated role of reduced BLK expression on extraperitoneal accumulation of B1a cells in mice, as well as the presence of IgG autoantibodies and B1-like cells in humans.
B淋巴细胞酪氨酸激酶(BLK)基因的多态性与自身免疫性疾病相关,包括系统性红斑狼疮,风险与BLK表达降低相关。BLK表达降低如何导致自身免疫尚不清楚。利用Blk(+/+)、Blk(+/-)和Blk(-/-)小鼠,我们发现与Blk(+/+)小鼠相比,老年雌性Blk(+/-)和Blk(-/-)小鼠产生更高水平的抗双链DNA IgG抗体,并发生免疫复合物介导的肾小球肾炎。从幼年开始,Blk(+/-)和Blk(-/-)小鼠脾脏B1a细胞数量增加,这些细胞分化为类别转换的分泌CD138(+) IgG的B1a细胞。在老年Blk(+/-)和Blk(-/-)小鼠中也观察到B1a样细胞向肾脏的浸润增加。在人类中,我们发现健康个体的抗双链DNA IgG抗体水平存在BLK基因型依赖性,外周血中B1样细胞群体CD19(+)CD3(-)CD20(+)CD43(+)CD27(+)的数量也增加。此外,我们描述了人类狼疮肾活检组织肾小管间质空间中存在B1样细胞。综上所述,我们的研究揭示了BLK表达降低在小鼠腹膜外B1a细胞积累方面以前未被认识到的作用,以及人类中IgG自身抗体和B1样细胞的存在。