title: Decreased Gαq expression in T cells correlates with enhanced cytokine production and disease activity in systemic lupus erythematosus.
abstract: Aberrant T cell immune responses appear central to the development of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). We previously reported that Gαq, the alpha subunit of Gq, regulates T and B cell immune responses, promoting autoimmunity. To address whether Gαq contributes to the pathogenesis of SLE, Gαq mRNA expression was studied using real time-PCR in PBMCs and T cells from SLE patients as well as age- and sex-matched healthy controls. Our results showed that Gαq mRNA expression was decreased in PBMCs and T cells from SLE patients compared to healthy individuals. Correlation analyses showed that Gαq expression in T cells from SLE patients was associated with disease severity (as per SLE Disease Activity Index), the presence of lupus nephritis, and expression of Th1, Th2 and Th17 cytokines. In keeping with clinical results, T-helper cell subsets (Th1, Th2 and Th17) were over-represented in Gαq knockout mice. In addition, Gαq expression in SLE T cells was negatively correlated with the expression of Bcl-2, an anti-apoptotic gene, and positively correlated with the expression of Bax, a pro-apoptotic gene. These data suggest that reduced Gαq levels in T cells may promote enhanced and prolonged T cell activation, contributing to the clinical manifestations of SLE.
authors.affiliation: Department of Rheumatology and Clinical Immunology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Xiamen University, Xiamen, Fujian, China.
authors.forename: Yan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: He
authors.affiliation: Department of Rheumatology and Clinical Immunology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Xiamen University, Xiamen, Fujian, China.|Fujian University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Fuzhou, Fujian, China.
authors.forename: Yan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.affiliation: Division of Gastroenterology, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei, China.
authors.forename: Lei
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Tu
authors.affiliation: Department of Rheumatology and Clinical Immunology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Xiamen University, Xiamen, Fujian, China.
authors.forename: Jiao
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Luo
authors.affiliation: Department of Rheumatology and Clinical Immunology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Xiamen University, Xiamen, Fujian, China.
authors.forename: Bing
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Yu
authors.affiliation: Department of Rheumatology and Clinical Immunology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Xiamen University, Xiamen, Fujian, China.
authors.forename: Hongyan
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Qian
authors.affiliation: Department of Rheumatology and Clinical Immunology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Xiamen University, Xiamen, Fujian, China.
authors.forename: Lihua
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Duan
authors.affiliation: Department of Rheumatology and Clinical Immunology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Xiamen University, Xiamen, Fujian, China.|Fujian University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Fuzhou, Fujian, China.
authors.forename: Guixiu
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Shi
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000818:Animals; D016207:Cytokines / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D005260:Female; D043802:GTP-Binding Protein alpha Subunits, Gq-G11 / Q000032:analysis / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D008180:Lupus Erythematosus, Systemic / Q000276:immunology*; D008213:Lymphocyte Activation; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D019253:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2 / Q000032:analysis; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000737:chemistry / Q000276:immunology*
chemical_list: D016207:Cytokines; D019253:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2; D043802:GTP-Binding Protein alpha Subunits, Gq-G11
keywords: Gαq; Immune response; Immunity; Immunology and Microbiology Section; SLE; T cell; apoptosis