The expression of Bcl-6 in circulating follicular helper-like T cells positively correlates with the disease activity in systemic lupus erythematosus.
Increased circulating follicular helper-like T cells (cTfh) are reported in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) patients. However, whether B-cell lymphoma 6 (Bcl-6) is expressed in cTfh cells remains to be clarified. In this study, we found that the frequencies of CD4+CXCR5hiPD-1hicTfh, CD4+CXCR5hiPD-1hiICOShi, and CD4+CXCR5hiPD-1hiBcl-6+populations were significantly increased in SLE patients (n=70) when compared with healthy controls (n=48). Surprisingly, only CD4+CXCR5hiPD-1hiBcl-6+cTfh cells, rather than CD4+CXCR5hiPD-1hipopulation, were positively correlated with SLEDAI and anti-dsDNA antibodies. An elevated level of IL-21 was found in SLE CD4+T cells. Moreover, IL-21 promoted the enrichment of TET2 in Bcl-6 promoter region and induced Bcl-6 expression. Therefore, Bcl-6 expression in cTfh cells may represent a reliable marker for the disease activity in SLE.
Department of Dermatology, Second Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Hunan Key Laboratory of Medical Epigenomics, Changsha, Hunan, China.
Xin
X
Huang
Department of Dermatology, Second Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Hunan Key Laboratory of Medical Epigenomics, Changsha, Hunan, China.
Haijing
H
Wu
Department of Dermatology, Second Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Hunan Key Laboratory of Medical Epigenomics, Changsha, Hunan, China.
Hong
H
Qiu
Department of Dermatology, General Hospital of Guangzhou Military Command of PLA, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China.
Huilan
H
Yang
Department of Dermatology, Second Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Hunan Key Laboratory of Medical Epigenomics, Changsha, Hunan, China.
Yaxiong
Y
Deng
Department of Dermatology, Second Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Hunan Key Laboratory of Medical Epigenomics, Changsha, Hunan, China.
Ming
M
Zhao
Department of Metabolism and Endocrinology, Second Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, China.
Hairong
H
Luo
Department of Nephrology, Second Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, China.
Xiang
X
Zhou
Changsha Blood Center, Changsha, Hunan, China.
Yubin
Y
Xie
Division of Rheumatology & Clinical Immunology, Department of Medicine, University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong.
Vera
V
Chan
Division of Rheumatology & Clinical Immunology, Department of Medicine, University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong.
Chak-Sing
CS
Lau
Department of Dermatology, Second Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Hunan Key Laboratory of Medical Epigenomics, Changsha, Hunan, China. Electronic address: qianlu5860@gmail.com.
Qianjin
Q
Lu
D000328:Adult; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology; D049308:Dioxygenases; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007378:Interleukins / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology; D008180:Lupus Erythematosus, Systemic / Q000276:immunology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011518:Proto-Oncogene Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology; D051560:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-6 / Q000276:immunology*; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D006377:T-Lymphocytes, Helper-Inducer / Q000276:immunology*; D055815:Young Adult; D000098546:Interleukin-21
C084103:BCL6 protein, human; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins; D007378:Interleukins; D011518:Proto-Oncogene Proteins; D051560:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-6; D049308:Dioxygenases; C541081:TET2 protein, human; D000098546:Interleukin-21
Bcl-6; Disease activity; IL-21; SLE; TET2; cTfh