title: IL-4Ralpha polymorphism in regulation of IL-4 synthesis by T cells: implication in susceptibility to a subset of murine lupus.
abstract: To thoroughly understand the role of IL-4 in the pathogenesis of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), a prototypic antibody-mediated systemic autoimmune disease, we examined the potential of in vitro IL-4 production by anti-CD3 mAb-stimulated splenic T cells in SLE model of NZB, BXSB and related mouse strains. Unexpectedly, both SLE-prone NZB and BXSB mice had a limited potential to produce IL-4, while disease-free NZW mice had a high potential. Levels in (NZB x NZW) F1 and (NZW x BXSB) F1 were in between. Genome-wide search for quantitative trait loci (QTL) controlling this variation identified a single significant QTL in the vicinity of IL-4Ralpha gene on chromosome 7. Sequence analysis of IL-4Ralpha cDNA revealed that there are 17 nucleotide substitutions resulting in eight amino acid changes between NZB and NZW strains. BXSB showed the identical sequence, as did NZB. Thus, it was suggested that the NZW-type polymorphism controls a high potential and the NZB/BXSB-type polymorphism controls a low potential for IL-4 production by T cells. Linkage studies using NZW x (NZW x BXSB) F1 male and (NZB x NZW) F1 x NZW female back-cross mice revealed that the BXSB/NZB-type IL-4Ralpha polymorphism significantly linked to BXSB, but not to (NZB x NZW) F1 lupus. Thus, the low IL-4-producing phenotype appears to predispose to SLE in BXSB, but not NZB-related strains, suggesting that the role of IL-4 in the pathogenesis may differ between certain subsets of SLE, even if they show similar disease phenotypes.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, Juntendo University School of Medicine, 2-1-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-8421, Japan.
authors.forename: Wakana
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Shiroiwa
authors.forename: Kazuyuki
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Tsukamoto
authors.forename: Mareki
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ohtsuji
authors.forename: Qingshun
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.forename: Akinori
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ida
authors.forename: Sanki
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kodera
authors.forename: Naomi
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Ohtsuji
authors.forename: Kazuhiro
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Nakamura
authors.forename: Hiromichi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Tsurui
authors.forename: Katsuyuki
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kinoshita
authors.forename: Hiroyuki
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Nishimura
authors.forename: Toshikazu
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Shirai
authors.forename: Sachiko
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Hirose
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002454:Cell Differentiation / Q000276:immunology; D005260:Female; D005434:Flow Cytometry; D005455:Fluorescent Antibody Technique; D020022:Genetic Predisposition to Disease; D007371:Interferon-gamma / Q000096:biosynthesis; D015847:Interleukin-4 / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D008180:Lupus Erythematosus, Systemic / Q000235:genetics* / Q000276:immunology; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008814:Mice, Inbred NZB; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D011110:Polymorphism, Genetic; D040641:Quantitative Trait Loci; D011956:Receptors, Cell Surface / Q000235:genetics*; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000166:cytology / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism*; D018418:Th2 Cells / Q000166:cytology / Q000276:immunology; D053662:Interleukin-4 Receptor alpha Subunit
chemical_list: D007371:Interferon-gamma; D015847:Interleukin-4; D011956:Receptors, Cell Surface; C504002:Il4ra protein, mouse; D053662:Interleukin-4 Receptor alpha Subunit