Department of Infectious Diseases, South Branch of Fujian Provincial Hospital, Shengli Clinical Medical College of Fujian Medical University, Fuzhou, Fujian Province, China.
Department of Emergency, Fujian Provincial Hospital, Shengli Clinical Medical College of Fujian Medical University, Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory of Emergency Medicine, Fuzhou, Fujian Province, China.
Clin Rheumatol. 2023 Nov;42(11):3113-3121. doi: 10.1007/s10067-023-06750-1. Epub 2023 Sep 11.
Numerous immune cell types, such as B and T lymphocytes, natural killer cells (NK), and NKT cells, are related to the pathogenesis of diseases in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Our goal in this investigation is to examine the phenotype of NK cells and NKT cells alterations in individuals with SLE.
Typically, 50 SLE patients and 24 age-matched healthy people had their PBMCs obtained. Employing flow cytometry, the phenotype of NK and NKT cells and immunoglobulin-like transcript 2 (ILT2) expressions were identified. ELISA was utilized to evaluate the amounts of interleukin-15 (IL-15) and sHLA-G in the serum.
The frequencies of the circulating NK and NKT cells in individuals with SLE were decreased compared to healthy controls. Furthermore, ILT2 expression was significantly increased in NKT cells, but showed no obvious change in NK cells. Clinical severity and active nephritis were substantially associated with ILT2 NKT cell frequencies. The correlation study showed that the upregulation of ILT2 expression was related to sHLA-G in plasma but not to IL-15.
ILT2 NKT cells have a vital function in the immune abnormalities of SLE, which can also supply a viable goal for therapeutic intervention. Key Points •ILT2 expression was significantly increased in NKT cells in SLE patients. •ILT2+ NKT cell frequencies were associated with clinical severity which may be used as an indicator for evaluating disease activity in patients with SLE.
许多免疫细胞类型，如 B 和 T 淋巴细胞、自然杀伤细胞 (NK) 和 NKT 细胞，与系统性红斑狼疮 (SLE) 疾病的发病机制有关。我们在这项研究中的目标是研究 SLE 患者 NK 细胞和 NKT 细胞表型改变。
通常情况下，我们采集了 50 名 SLE 患者和 24 名年龄匹配的健康人的 PBMCs。我们采用流式细胞术鉴定 NK 和 NKT 细胞的表型和免疫球蛋白样转录物 2 (ILT2) 表达。我们采用 ELISA 评估血清中白细胞介素-15 (IL-15) 和可溶性 HLA-G (sHLA-G) 的含量。
与健康对照组相比，SLE 患者循环 NK 和 NKT 细胞的频率降低。此外，NKT 细胞中 ILT2 表达显著增加，但 NK 细胞中无明显变化。临床严重程度和活动性肾炎与 ILT2 NKT 细胞频率密切相关。相关性研究表明，ILT2 表达上调与血浆中的 sHLA-G 相关，而与 IL-15 无关。
ILT2 NKT 细胞在 SLE 的免疫异常中具有重要作用，这也为治疗干预提供了一个可行的靶点。关键点：
SLE 患者 NKT 细胞中 ILT2 表达显著增加。
ILT2+NKT 细胞频率与临床严重程度相关，可作为评估 SLE 患者疾病活动的指标。
