title: A T cell gene expression panel for the diagnosis and monitoring of disease activity in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus.
abstract: Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE) remains a challenging disease to diagnose and follow, as no reliable biomarkers are known to date. We designed a gene expression panel with 40 genes known to play a role in SLE pathogenesis. We found that the combined expression of these genes in SLE T cells can accurately differentiate SLE from healthy individuals and patients with other autoimmune diseases. The accuracy of the test increased further (83%) when only three out of the initial genes (OAS2, CD70 and IL10) were used. A T cell score, calculated from the combined expression levels of these genes, correlated positively with various SLE activity markers in a cross-sectional cohort and in a few patients that were followed prospectively. These data showcase the usefulness of measuring mRNA levels of key molecules in diagnosing and following patients with SLE.
authors.affiliation: Division of Rheumatology, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, 02215, USA. Electronic address: agramma1@bidmc.harvard.edu.
authors.forename: Alexandros P
authors.initials: AP
authors.lastname: Grammatikos
authors.affiliation: Division of Rheumatology, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, 02215, USA. Electronic address: vkyttari@bidmc.harvard.edu.
authors.forename: Vasileios C
authors.initials: VC
authors.lastname: Kyttaris
authors.affiliation: Division of Rheumatology, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, 02215, USA. Electronic address: kkistoth@bidmc.harvard.edu.
authors.forename: Katalin
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kis-Toth
authors.affiliation: Division of Rheumatology, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, 02215, USA. Electronic address: lfitzge2@bidmc.harvard.edu.
authors.forename: Lisa M
authors.initials: LM
authors.lastname: Fitzgerald
authors.affiliation: Division of Rheumatology, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, 02215, USA. Electronic address: adevlin@bidmc.harvard.edu.
authors.forename: Amy
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Devlin
authors.affiliation: Division of Rheumatology, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, 02215, USA. Electronic address: mfinnell@bidmc.harvard.edu.
authors.forename: Michele D
authors.initials: MD
authors.lastname: Finnell
authors.affiliation: Division of Rheumatology, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, 02215, USA. Electronic address: gtsokos@bidmc.harvard.edu.
authors.forename: George C
authors.initials: GC
authors.lastname: Tsokos
mesh_terms: D015088:2',5'-Oligoadenylate Synthetase / Q000235:genetics; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001172:Arthritis, Rheumatoid / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology; D015415:Biomarkers; D053282:CD27 Ligand / Q000235:genetics; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation; D006801:Humans; D016753:Interleukin-10 / Q000235:genetics; D007963:Leukocytes, Mononuclear / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism; D008180:Lupus Erythematosus, Systemic / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000235:genetics* / Q000276:immunology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016176:T-Lymphocyte Subsets / Q000276:immunology* / Q000378:metabolism*; D059467:Transcriptome
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D053282:CD27 Ligand; D016753:Interleukin-10; D015088:2',5'-Oligoadenylate Synthetase
keywords: Biomarkers; CD70; Diagnostic; Flare; IL10; OAS2