Ficolin-1 is up-regulated in leukocytes and glomeruli from microscopic polyangiitis patients.
Microscopic polyangiitis (MPA) is a systemic autoimmune disease that often has a fatal outcome. Although delineating the molecular pathogenesis is essential for its remedy, an understanding of its molecular mechanism has remained elusive. To search for new markers of active lesions that might help better understand the molecular basis of MPA and aid in its diagnosis, we here performed DNA microarray analysis with peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs). Compared to normal control, several genes were up- or down-regulated in MPA patients, including up-regulation of the mRNA level of ficolin-1 (FCN1 or M-ficolin), an innate pattern recognition complement molecule. The amount of ficolin-1, as detected by immunohistochemistry, was higher in the glomeruli of another group of MPA patients than in the glomeruli of control patients who harbored almost normal glomeruli. Many of the ficolin-1 dots were also positive for CD68, suggesting that the ficolin-1-positive cells were monocytes, such as macrophages or dendritic cells. This is not due to the difference in the number of neutrophil or monocytes in the blood samples of MPA and control patients. Taken together, we conclude that increased ficolin-1 expression could serve as a new marker for the characterization of MPA, especially when it is associated with local active lesions.
Division of Nephrology and Hemodialysis, Kitano Hospital, The Tazuke Kofukai Medical Research Institute , Osaka 538-8480 , Japan .
Eri
E
Muso
Daisuke
D
Okuzaki
Shigeto
S
Kobayashi
Yukako
Y
Iwasaki
Minami A
MA
Sakurai
Akihiko
A
Ito
Hiroshi
H
Nojima
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D015703:Antigens, CD / Q000378:metabolism; D015214:Antigens, Differentiation, Myelomonocytic / Q000378:metabolism; D001706:Biopsy; D016000:Cluster Analysis; D003165:Complement System Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D005260:Female; D020869:Gene Expression Profiling; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation; D053263:Gene Regulatory Networks; D006801:Humans; D007678:Kidney Glomerulus / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D037102:Lectins / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D007962:Leukocytes / Q000378:metabolism*; D007963:Leukocytes, Mononuclear / Q000378:metabolism; D008297:Male; D055953:Microscopic Polyangiitis / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000628:therapy; D008875:Middle Aged; D009000:Monocytes / Q000378:metabolism; D009504:Neutrophils / Q000378:metabolism; D011485:Protein Binding; D015398:Signal Transduction; D000097604:Ficolins; D000097382:CD68 Molecule
D015703:Antigens, CD; D015214:Antigens, Differentiation, Myelomonocytic; D003165:Complement System Proteins; D037102:Lectins; D000097604:Ficolins; C067980:CD68 antigen, human; D000097382:CD68 Molecule