The aberrant expression of stimulatory and inhibitory killer immunoglobulin-like receptors in NK- and NKT-cells contributes to lupus.
BACKGROUND
Killer cell immunoglobulin-like receptors (KIR) contribute to the pathogenesis of multiple auto-immune diseases via the modulation of NK-, NKT- and T-cells. Thus, we want to know whether the expression pattern of KIR is associated with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) susceptibility.


METHODS
Here, real-time quantitative PCR and fluorescence-activated cell sorting (FACS) were used to measure the stimulatory KIR (sKIR) and inhibitory KIR (iKIR) mRAN and protein levels on NK-, NKT- and T-cells in both SLE patients and healthy controls.


RESULTS
In SLE patients, CD158a/h (KIR2DL1/S1) was highly expressed while CD158b/i/j (KIR2DL2/L3/S2, iKIR/iKIR/sKIR) was lowly expressed in NK- and NKT-cells in patients. The expression levels of KIR2DL1 and KIR2DL2 (iKIRs) were decreased while the expression levels of KIR2DS1 (sKIR) were increased in NK- and NKT-cells in the patients.


CONCLUSIONS
We found that SLE patients represent aberrant expression of stimulatory and inhibitory KIRs in NK- and NKT-cells. Consequently, these different expression levels of KIRs may contribute to the abnormal function of these cells, which lead to the risk of SLE.
Yanyan
Y
Bai
Yuanchao
Y
Zhang
Qingrui
Q
Yang
Yanfeng
Y
Hou
Naiwen
N
Hu
Dong
D
Wang
Hongsheng
H
Sun
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D005260:Female; D020022:Genetic Predisposition to Disease; D006801:Humans; D007694:Killer Cells, Natural / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D008180:Lupus Erythematosus, Systemic / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology* / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D055611:Natural Killer T-Cells / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D054340:Receptors, KIR / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D054343:Receptors, KIR2DL2 / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D018570:Risk Assessment; D055815:Young Adult
C515077:KIR2DL2 protein, human; C496212:KIR2DS1 protein, human; D054340:Receptors, KIR; D054343:Receptors, KIR2DL2