T cell expressions of aberrant gene signatures and Co-inhibitory receptors (Co-IRs) as predictors of renal damage and lupus disease activity.

BACKGROUND: Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is distinguished by an extensive range of clinical heterogeneity with unpredictable disease flares and organ damage. This research investigates the potential of aberrant signatures on T cell genes, soluble Co-IRs/ligands, and Co-IRs expression on T cells as biomarkers for lupus disease parameters. METHODS: Comparative transcriptome profiling analysis of non-renal and end-stage renal disease (ESRD) phenotypes of SLE was performed using CD4 + and CD8 + cDNA microarrays of sorted T cells. Comparing the expression of Co-IRs on T cells and serum soluble mediators among healthy and SLE phenotypes. RESULTS: SLE patients with ESRD were downregulated CD38, PLEK, interferon-γ, CX3CR1, FGFBP2, and SLCO4C1 transcripts on CD4 + and CD8 + T cells simultaneously and NKG7, FCRL6, GZMB/H, FcγRIII, ITGAM, Fas ligand, TBX21, LYN, granulysin, CCL4L1, CMKLR1, HLA-DRß, KIR2DL3, and KLRD1 in CD8 T cells. Pathway enrichment and PPI network analyses revealed that the overwhelming majority of Differentially Expressed Genes (DEGs) have been affiliated with novel cytotoxic, antigen presentation, and chemokine-cell migration signature pathways. CD8 + GZMK + T cells that are varied in nature, including CD161 + Mucosal-associated invariant T (MAIT) cells and CD161- aged-associated T (Taa) cells and CD161-GZMK + GZMB + T cells might account for a higher level of GZMK in CD8 + T cells associated with ESRD. SLE patients have higher TIGIT + , PD1 + , and lower CD127 + cell percentages on CD4 + T cells, higher TIM3 + , TIGIT + , HLA-DR + cell frequency, and lower MFI expression of CD127, CD160 in CD8 T cells. Co-IRs expression in T cells was correlated with soluble PD-1, PDL-2, and TIM3 levels, as well as SLE disease activity, clinical phenotypes, and immune-therapy responses. CONCLUSION: The signature of dysfunctional pathways defines a distinct immunity pattern in LN ESRD patients. Expression levels of Co-IRs in peripheral blood T cells and serum levels of soluble PD1/PDL-2/TIM3 can serve as biomarkers for evaluating clinical parameters and therapeutic responses.

Functional MICA Variants Are Differentially Associated with Immune-Mediated Inflammatory Diseases.

As the principal ligand for NKG2D, MICA elicits the recruitment of subsets of T cells and NK cells in innate immunity. MICA gene variants greatly impact the functionality and expression of MICA in humans. The current study evaluated whether MICA polymorphisms distinctively influence the pathogenesis of psoriasis (PSO), rheumatoid arthritis (RA), and systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) in Taiwanese subjects. The distributions of MICA alleles and levels of serum soluble NKG2D were compared between healthy controls and patients with PSO, RA, and SLE, respectively. The binding capacities and cell surface densities of MICA alleles were assessed by utilizing stable cell lines expressing four prominent Taiwanese MICA alleles. Our data revealed that MICA*010 was significantly associated with risks for PSO and RA (PFDR = 1.93 × 10-15 and 0.00112, respectively), while MICA*045 was significantly associated with predisposition to SLE (PFDR = 0.0002). On the other hand, MICA*002 was associated with protection against RA development (PFDR = 4.16 × 10-6), while MICA*009 was associated with a low risk for PSO (PFDR = 0.0058). MICA*002 exhibited the highest binding affinity for NKG2D compared to the other MICA alleles. Serum concentrations of soluble MICA were significantly elevated in SLE patients compared to healthy controls (p = 0.01). The lack of cell surface expression of the MICA*010 was caused by its entrapment in the endoplasmic reticulum. As a prevalent risk factor for PSO and RA, MICA*010 is deficient in cell surface expression and is unable to interact with NKG2D. Our study suggests that MICA alleles distinctively contribute to the pathogenesis of PSO, RA, and SLE in Taiwanese people.

MICA*019 Allele and Soluble MICA as Biomarkers for Ankylosing Spondylitis in Taiwanese.

MICA (major histocompatibility complex class I chain-related gene A) interacts with NKG2D on immune cells to regulate host immune responses. We aimed to determine whether MICA alleles are associated with AS susceptibility in Taiwanese. MICA alleles were determined through haplotype analyses of major MICA coding SNP (cSNP) data from 895 AS patients and 896 normal healthy controls in Taiwan. The distributions of MICA alleles were compared between AS patients and normal healthy controls and among AS patients, stratified by clinical characteristics. ELISA was used to determine soluble MICA (sMICA) levels in serum of AS patients and healthy controls. Stable cell lines expressing four major MICA alleles (MICA*002, MICA*008, MICA*010 and MICA*019) in Taiwanese were used for biological analyses. We found that MICA*019 is the only major MICA allele significantly associated with AS susceptibility (PFDR = 2.25 × 10-115; OR, 14.90; 95% CI, 11.83-18.77) in Taiwanese. In addition, the MICA*019 allele is associated with syndesmophyte formation (PFDR = 0.0017; OR, 1.69; 95% CI, 1.29-2.22) and HLA-B27 positivity (PFDR = 1.45 × 10-33; OR, 28.79; 95% CI, 16.83-49.26) in AS patients. Serum sMICA levels were significantly increased in AS patients as compared to healthy controls. Additionally, MICA*019 homozygous subjects produced the highest levels of sMICA, compared to donors with other genotypes. Furthermore, in vitro experiments revealed that cells expressing MICA*019 produced the highest level of sMICA, as compared to other major MICA alleles. In summary, the MICA*019 allele, producing the highest levels of sMICA, is a significant risk factor for AS and syndesmophyte formation in Taiwanese. Our data indicate that a high level of sMICA is a biomarker for AS.

Fucosylation of LAMP-1 and LAMP-2 by FUT1 correlates with lysosomal positioning and autophagic flux of breast cancer cells.

Alpha1,2-fucosyltransferases, FUT1 and FUT2, which transfer fucoses onto the terminal galactose of N-acetyl-lactosamine via α1,2-linkage have been shown to be highly expressed in various types of cancers. A few studies have shown the involvement of FUT1 substrates in tumor cell proliferation and migration. Lysosome-associated membrane protein 1, LAMP-1, has been reported to carry alpha1,2-fucosylated Lewis Y (LeY) antigens in breast cancer cells, however, the biological functions of LeY on LAMP-1 remain largely unknown. Whether or not its family member, LAMP-2, displays similar modifications and functions as LAMP-1 has not yet been addressed. In this study, we have presented evidence supporting that both LAMP-1 and 2 are substrates for FUT1, but not FUT2. We have also demonstrated the presence of H2 and LeY antigens on LAMP-1 by a targeted nanoLC-MS(3) and the decreased levels of fucosylation on LAMP-2 by MALDI-TOF analysis upon FUT1 knockdown. In addition, we found that the expression of LeY was substantial in less invasive ER+/PR+/HER- breast cancer cells (MCF-7 and T47D) but negligible in highly invasive triple-negative MDA-MB-231 cells, of which LeY levels were correlated with the levels of LeY carried by LAMP-1 and 2. Intriguingly, we also observed a striking change in the subcellular localization of lysosomes upon FUT1 knockdown from peripheral distribution of LAMP-1 and 2 to a preferential perinuclear accumulation. Besides that, knockdown of FUT1 led to an increased rate of autophagic flux along with diminished activity of mammalian target of rapamycin complex 1 (mTORC1) and enhanced autophagosome-lysosome fusion. This may be associated with the predominantly perinuclear distribution of lysosomes mediated by FUT1 knockdown as lysosomal positioning has been reported to regulate mTOR activity and autophagy. Taken together, our results suggest that downregulation of FUT1, which leads to the perinuclear localization of LAMP-1 and 2, is correlated with increased rate of autophagic flux by decreasing mTOR signaling and increasing autolysosome formation.

Ser-123 of the large antigen of hepatitis delta virus modulates its cellular localization to the nucleolus, SC-35 speckles or the cytoplasm.

Hepatitis delta virus (HDV) is a defective virus and requires hepatitis B virus (HBV) to supply envelope proteins (HBsAg) for maturation and secretion. It is known that two proteins produced by HDV, the small (SDAg) and large (LDAg) antigens, are located in the nucleolus, speckles and the cytoplasm and are involved in genome replication and virion packaging. However, little is known about how they are targeted to the specific sites where they act. A green fluorescence protein fused to LDAg (GFP-LD) has been shown previously to translocate from the nucleolus to SC-35 speckles in the presence of the casein kinase II inhibitor dichlororibofuranosyl benzimidazole. In this study, we determined which amino acids of GFP-LD were responsible for the translocation from the nucleolus to SC-35 speckles and created three GFP-LD derivatives, GFP-LDS2A, GFP-LDS123A and GFP-LDS2/123A. Fluorescence microscopy studies showed that Ser-123 mutants had a high tendency to target SC-35 speckles in both transfected HeLa and HuH-7 cells and suggested that Ser-123, but not Ser-2, plays a role in modulating LDAg translocation to the nucleolus or to SC-35 speckles. This study also demonstrated that HBsAg plays a role in facilitating the transportation of LDAg from the nucleus to cytoplasm. Compared with GFP-LD and GFP-LDS2A, mutants of Ser-123 were less efficiently transported to the cytoplasm and resulted in a lower level of secretion. In contrast, little or no isoprenylation mutant was observed in the cytoplasm of HuH-7 cells expressing HbsAg, suggesting that the isoprenylation of LDAg plays a role in export from the nucleus. Thus, the current study demonstrated that both cis and trans elements modulate HDAg translocation to various subcellular sites.