Department of Medical Research, Taichung Veterans General Hospital, Taichung, Taiwan.
Ph.D. Program in Translational Medicine, National Chung Hsing University, Taichung, Taiwan.
Sci Rep. 2018 Nov 23;8(1):17287. doi: 10.1038/s41598-018-35774-w.
Mixed cryobulinemia (MC) is the most common chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV)-associated extrahepatic manifestation. C-type lectin 18 (CLEC18) is a novel secretory lectin that is abundantly expressed in hepatocytes and peripheral blood cells (PBCs). We investigated the associations between CLEC18 expression during HCV infection and the presence of extrahepatic manifestations. A total of 41 rheumatic patients with HCV infection (including 28 patients with MC syndrome), 45 rheumatic patients without infection, and 14 healthy subjects were enrolled. The CLEC18 levels in PBCs and serum were determined by using flow cytometry and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, respectively. Significantly higher CLEC18 levels were observed in patients with HCV infection (P < 0.001) and were positively correlated with HCV viral loads (γ = 0.56, P < 0.05). Among patients with HCV infection, significantly increased CLEC18 levels were observed in patients with MC syndrome, particularly in those with type II MC (P < 0.05). CLEC18 levels were associated with cryoglobulin and C4 levels (P < 0.05). CLEC18 was significantly associated with HCV infection, particularly in those with HCV-associated MC. CLEC18 levels were also positively correlated with MC disease activity, suggesting its involvement in MC pathogenesis. CLEC18 may be a novel indicator of HCV infection and a potential therapeutic target in rheumatic patients.
混合冷球蛋白血症（MC）是丙型肝炎病毒（HCV）相关最常见的肝外表现。C 型凝集素 18（CLEC18）是一种新型分泌性凝集素，在肝细胞和外周血细胞（PBC）中大量表达。我们研究了 HCV 感染期间 CLEC18 表达与肝外表现之间的关系。共纳入 41 例 HCV 感染的风湿患者（包括 28 例 MC 综合征患者）、45 例无感染的风湿患者和 14 例健康对照者。采用流式细胞术和酶联免疫吸附试验分别测定 PBC 和血清中 CLEC18 水平。HCV 感染患者的 CLEC18 水平显著升高（P<0.001），并与 HCV 病毒载量呈正相关（γ=0.56，P<0.05）。在 HCV 感染患者中，MC 综合征患者的 CLEC18 水平显著升高，尤其是 II 型 MC 患者（P<0.05）。CLEC18 水平与冷球蛋白和 C4 水平相关（P<0.05）。CLEC18 与 HCV 感染显著相关，尤其是与 HCV 相关的 MC。CLEC18 水平与 MC 疾病活动度呈正相关，提示其参与 MC 发病机制。CLEC18 可能是 HCV 感染的新型标志物，也是风湿患者的潜在治疗靶点。
