title: Serum IFN-λ1 is abnormally elevated in rheumatoid arthritis patients.
abstract: Interferon (IFN)-λ1 is a newly described cytokine that is known for its proinflammatory activity in viral infection and in cancer. Because recent studies indicated that IFN-λ can influence significantly the innate and adaptive immune response, we studied IFN-λ in a prototypic systemic autoimmune disease, rheumatoid arthritis (RA). It was found that RA patients had higher mRNA levels in PBMC and higher serum levels of IFN-λ1 in comparison with healthy matched controls and ankylosing spondylitis (AS) patients. Although there was no correlation between serum IFN-λ1 and RA autoantibodies, RA patients that presented knee joint involvement displayed higher serum IFN-λ1 than patients without knee joint involvement, suggesting that abnormally elevated IFN-λ1 levels in RA can associate with knee joint disease.
authors.affiliation: Department of Rheumatology, Provincial Hospital Affiliated to Shandong University, Jinan, China.
authors.forename: Qian
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.forename: Qingrui
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.forename: Hongsheng
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Sun
authors.forename: Ming
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Yuanchao
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Antonio
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: La Cava
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001172:Arthritis, Rheumatoid / Q000097:blood / Q000276:immunology*; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007372:Interferons; D007378:Interleukins / Q000097:blood* / Q000235:genetics; D007719:Knee Joint / Q000276:immunology; D007963:Leukocytes, Mononuclear / Q000276:immunology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics; D060888:Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric; D055815:Young Adult; D000095022:Interferon Lambda
chemical_list: D007372:Interferons; D007378:Interleukins; D012333:RNA, Messenger; C000624353:interferon-lambda, human; D000095022:Interferon Lambda