title: Increased soluble CD72 in systemic lupus erythematosus is in association with disease activity and lupus nephritis.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  B cell receptor (BCR) -mediated signals are enhanced when CD72 expression is deficient on B cells in autoimmune diseases. The significance of soluble CD72 (sCD72) has not been elucidated.
  
  
  METHODS
  Soluble CD72 was analyzed in the serum of 159 SLE patients, 40 rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients, and 100 healthy individuals. Correlations between sCD72 and SLE disease activity (SLEDAI) were assessed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Soluble CD72 was found increased in SLE patients, when compared to both RA patients and healthy individuals (20.2 ± 1.2 ng/ml; 10.6 ± 4.6 ng/ml and 7.2 ± 3.3 ng/ml; p < 0.001). Soluble CD72 level was significantly higher in SLE patients with renal involvement than in patients without (31.8 ± 2.3 ng/ml vs 13.9 ± 0.9 ng/ml; p < 0.001) and also with the presence of auto-antibodies.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Soluble CD72 is significantly increased in SLE patients mainly in those with renal involvement. Increased sCD72 may become a potential biomarker for renal involvement in SLE.
authors.affiliation: Division of Allergy & clinical Immunology, Bnai Zion Medical Center, Technion Faculty of Medicine, Haifa, Israel. Electronic address: zahava.vadas@b-zion.org.il.
authors.forename: Zahava
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Vadasz
authors.affiliation: Department of statistics, University of Haifa, Haifa, Israel. Electronic address: yair.goldy@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Yair
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Goldeberg
authors.affiliation: Division of Allergy & clinical Immunology, Bnai Zion Medical Center, Haifa, Israel. Electronic address: katty.halasz@b-zion.org.il.
authors.forename: Katty
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Halasz
authors.affiliation: Rheumatology Unit, Bnai Zion Medical Center, Technion Faculty of Medicine, Haifa, Israel. Electronic address: rosneri@tx.technion.ac.il.
authors.forename: Itzhak
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Rosner
authors.affiliation: Rheumatology Unit, Department of Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, Italy. Electronic address: guido.valesini@yahoo.it.
authors.forename: Guido
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Valesini
authors.affiliation: Rheumatology Unit, Department of Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, Italy. Electronic address: fabricio.conti@uniroma1.it.
authors.forename: Fabrizio
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Conti
authors.affiliation: Rheumatology Unit, Department of Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, Italy. Electronic address: carlo.perricone@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Carlo
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Perricone
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine B, Allergy, Immunology and AIDS, Kaplan Medical Center, Rehovot, Israel. Electronic address: zev_s@clalit.org.il.
authors.forename: Zev
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Sthoeger
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine B, Allergy, Immunology and AIDS, Kaplan Medical Center, Rehovot, Israel.
authors.forename: Shira Rosenberg
authors.initials: SR
authors.lastname: Bezalel
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathophysiology, University of Athens, Athens, Greece. Electronic address: agtzi@med.uoa.gr.
authors.forename: Athanasios G
authors.initials: AG
authors.lastname: Tzioufas
authors.affiliation: Zabludowicz Center for Autoimmune Diseases, Sheba Medical Center, Sakler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Israel. Electronic address: nancy.agmon-levin@sheba.health.gov.il.
authors.forename: Nancy Agmon
authors.initials: NA
authors.lastname: Levin
authors.affiliation: Zabludowicz Center for Autoimmune Diseases, Sheba Medical Center, Sakler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Israel. Electronic address: shoenfel@post.tau.ac.il.
authors.forename: Yehuda
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Shoenfeld
authors.affiliation: Division of Allergy & clinical Immunology, Bnai Zion Medical Center, Technion Faculty of Medicine, Haifa, Israel. Electronic address: elias.toubi@b-zion.org.il.
authors.forename: Elias
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Toubi
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000974:Antibodies, Antinuclear / Q000097:blood; D015703:Antigens, CD / Q000097:blood*; D000944:Antigens, Differentiation, B-Lymphocyte / Q000097:blood*; D001172:Arthritis, Rheumatoid / Q000097:blood / Q000276:immunology; D001402:B-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008180:Lupus Erythematosus, Systemic / Q000097:blood / Q000276:immunology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D039961:Semaphorins / Q000097:blood; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D000974:Antibodies, Antinuclear; D015703:Antigens, CD; D000944:Antigens, Differentiation, B-Lymphocyte; D015415:Biomarkers; C093224:CD100 antigen; C064228:CD72 protein, human; D039961:Semaphorins
keywords: Nephritis; SLE; SLEDAI; Soluble CD72; anti-cardiolipin antibody; anti-dsDNA antibody