Association between Lyn tyrosine kinase and renal injury in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus.

BACKGROUND

To investigate protein kinase Lyn expression in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) or lupus nephritis (LN) and its association with clinical markers.

METHODS

Sixty-one inpatients with SLE were categorized into low SLE Disease Activity Index (SLEDAI) group (SLEDAI < 6,  = 32) and high SLEDAI group (SLEDAI ≥ 6,  = 29). Thirty volunteers served as healthy controls (HC). SLE patients were further divided into non-LN ( = 31) and LN ( = 30) groups. Lyn mRNA and protein levels in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) were analyzed and correlations between Lyn expression and SLEDAI, clinical parameters were examined. Renal biopsies from LN ( = 24) were collected for immunohistochemical analysis of Lyn level.

RESULTS

Compared to the HC group, SLE patients exhibited a decline in both Lyn mRNA and protein expression in PBMCs, with significant downregulation in the high SLEDAI group versus the low SLEDAI group and a notable reduction in the LN group relative to the non-LN group. Lyn levels negatively correlated with SLEDAI and 24-hour urine protein (24h-U-pro) while positively correlated with serum C3, C4, hemoglobin, and albumin. Multiple linear regression indicated an independent association between Lyn mRNA and SLEDAI. ROC curve analysis suggested Lyn as a reliable predictor for SLE, LN, and lupus activity, with histopathological examination revealing that decreased Lyn expression correlated negatively with the renal pathology index ( = -0.8016,  = 0.0016).

CONCLUSIONS

The protein kinase Lyn was inversely associated with disease activity, albuminuria level and renal pathology activity in SLE and may be a promising biomarker for assessing LN disease activity.