dsDNA-, nucleohistone- and DNASE I-reactive T lymphocytes in patients affected by systemic lupus erythematosus: correlation with clinical disease activity.
OBJECTIVE
To demonstrate the involvement of T lymphocytes reactive to autoantigens in the pathogenesis of autoimmune diseases and to analyse their clinical relevance.


METHODS
The frequency of T cell clones reactive to double strand DNA (dsDNA), Nucleohistone (NH) complex and Dnase I was calculated for the peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) of 15 SLE patients and 9 healthy subjects by proliferation assay.


RESULTS
DsDNA- and NH-specific T cell clones were found in the majority of the patients analysed (frequency ranging from 2 to 50 clones/10(7) PBMC), while their absence or very low frequency (2 clones/10(7) PBMC) was observed in the control PBMC. Their frequency significantly correlated with decreased serum concentrations of C3 and C4 and with the systemic lupus erythematosus disease activity index (P = 0.03). A very low frequency of Dnase I-reactive T cell clones was observed in both SLE and healthy subjects.


CONCLUSIONS
Our results suggest that dsDNA- and NH-reactive T lymphocytes may be involved in the pathogenesis of SLE and that their quantification in the peripheral blood of patients could be a useful tool to follow the clinical course of the disease.
Department of Internal Medicine, University of Genoa, Italy.
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Filaci
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Grasso
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Contini
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Imro
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Lanza
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Scudeletti
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Rossi
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Puppo
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Damasio
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Indiveri
D000328:Adult; D001327:Autoimmune Diseases / Q000209:etiology*; D015551:Autoimmunity; D002455:Cell Division; D002460:Cell Line; D002999:Clone Cells; D004247:DNA / Q000276:immunology; D003851:Deoxyribonucleases / Q000276:immunology; D018450:Disease Progression; D005260:Female; D005434:Flow Cytometry; D006657:Histones / Q000276:immunology; D006801:Humans; D007111:Immunity, Cellular; D007963:Leukocytes, Mononuclear / Q000276:immunology; D008180:Lupus Erythematosus, Systemic / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000209:etiology*; D008875:Middle Aged; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology*
D006657:Histones; D004247:DNA; D003851:Deoxyribonucleases