title: Elevated circulating CD4+ ICOS+ Foxp3+ T cells contribute to overproduction of IL-10 and are correlated with disease severity in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus.
abstract: In this work, we aimed to investigate the frequency, possible categories and clinical significance of circulating CD4+ ICOS+ FoxP3+ T cells in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). The frequency of circulating CD4+ ICOS+ FoxP3+ T cells was analysed by flow-cytometric analysis in 32 SLE patients, 10 rheumatoid arthritis patients and 32 healthy controls. Production of IL-10 and mTGF-β by different CD4+ T-cell populations was determined by intracellular cytokine staining. Plasma levels of IL-10 and TGF-β were determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The frequency of circulating CD4+ ICOS+ FoxP3+ T cells was significantly increased in SLE patients as compared with control groups. The elevated frequency of CD4+ ICOS+ FoxP3+ T cells had a positive correlation with SLE Disease Activity Index (SLEDAI) scores and serum anti-dsDNA but a negative correlation with serum C3. Additionally, the CD4+ ICOS+ Foxp3+ T cells contained significantly higher percentages of IL-10-producing cells than CD4+ ICOS- Foxp3+ T cells. A significant positive correlation was also observed between the frequency of CD4+ ICOS+ Foxp3+ T cells and the plasma level of IL-10 in SLE patients. In conclusion, an increased frequency of circulating CD4+ ICOS+ Foxp3+ T cells was observed in patients with SLE, suggesting its potential importance in the immunopathogenesis of SLE. Analysis of the CD4+ ICOS+ FoxP3+ T-cell population may be useful for the evaluation of lupus disease severity.
authors.affiliation: Department of Laboratory Diagnosis, Changhai Hospital, Second Military Medical University, Shanghai, China.
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Zhu
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Cai
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Qin
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Tang
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Zhao
authors.forename: Q
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Shen
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000945:Antigens, Differentiation, T-Lymphocyte / Q000276:immunology; D001172:Arthritis, Rheumatoid / Q000276:immunology; D015496:CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D015331:Cohort Studies; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D005260:Female; D005434:Flow Cytometry; D051858:Forkhead Transcription Factors / Q000276:immunology; D006801:Humans; D060889:Inducible T-Cell Co-Stimulator Protein; D016753:Interleukin-10 / Q000097:blood* / Q000378:metabolism; D008180:Lupus Erythematosus, Systemic / Q000276:immunology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D016212:Transforming Growth Factor beta / Q000097:blood*; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D000945:Antigens, Differentiation, T-Lymphocyte; C418974:FOXP3 protein, human; D051858:Forkhead Transcription Factors; C556692:ICOS protein, human; D060889:Inducible T-Cell Co-Stimulator Protein; D016212:Transforming Growth Factor beta; D016753:Interleukin-10