Peripheral immune cells in metastatic breast cancer patients display a systemic immunosuppressed signature consistent with chronic inflammation.

Immunotherapies blocking the PD-1/PD-L1 checkpoint show some efficacy in metastatic breast cancer (mBC) but are often hindered by immunosuppressive mechanisms. Understanding these mechanisms is crucial for personalized treatments, with peripheral blood monitoring representing a practical alternative to repeated biopsies. In the present study, we performed a comprehensive mass cytometry analysis of peripheral blood immune cells in 104 patients with HER2 negative mBC and 20 healthy donors (HD). We found that mBC patients had significantly elevated monocyte levels and reduced levels of CD4+ T cells and plasmacytoid dendritic cells, when compared to HD. Furthermore, mBC patients had more effector T cells and regulatory T cells, increased expression of immune checkpoints and other activation/exhaustion markers, and a shift to a Th2/Th17 phenotype. Furthermore, T-cell phenotypes identified by mass cytometry correlated with functionality as assessed by IFN-γ production. Additional analysis indicated that previous chemotherapy and CDK4/6 inhibition impacted the numbers and phenotype of immune cells. From 63 of the patients, fresh tumor samples were analyzed by flow cytometry. Paired PBMC-tumor analysis showed moderate correlations between peripheral CD4+ T and NK cells with their counterparts in tumors. Further, a CD4+ T cell cluster in PBMCs, that co-expressed multiple checkpoint receptors, was negatively associated with CD4+ T cell tumor infiltration. In conclusion, the identified systemic immune signatures indicate an immune-suppressed environment in mBC patients who had progressed/relapsed on standard treatments, and is consistent with ongoing chronic inflammation. These activated immuno-suppressive mechanisms may be investigated as therapeutic targets, and for use as biomarkers of response or treatment resistance.

Ipilimumab and nivolumab combined with anthracycline-based chemotherapy in metastatic hormone receptor-positive breast cancer: a randomized phase 2b trial.

BACKGROUND: Immune checkpoint inhibitors have shown minimal clinical activity in hormone receptor-positive metastatic breast cancer (HR+mBC). Doxorubicin and low-dose cyclophosphamide are reported to induce immune responses and counter regulatory T cells (Tregs). Here, we report the efficacy and safety of combined programmed cell death protein-1/cytotoxic T-lymphocyte-associated protein 4 blockade concomitant with or after immunomodulatory chemotherapy for HR+mBC. METHODS: Patients with HR+mBC starting first-/second- line chemotherapy (chemo) were randomized 2:3 to chemotherapy (pegylated liposomal doxorubicin 20 mg/m2 every second week plus cyclophosphamide 50 mg by mouth/day in every other 2-week cycle) with or without concomitant ipilimumab (ipi; 1 mg/kg every sixth week) and nivolumab (nivo; 240 mg every second week). Patients in the chemo-only arm were offered cross-over to ipi/nivo without chemotherapy. Co-primary endpoints were safety in all patients starting therapy and progression-free survival (PFS) in the per-protocol (PP) population, defined as all patients evaluated for response and receiving at least two treatment cycles. Secondary endpoints included objective response rate, clinical benefit rate, Treg changes during therapy and assessment of programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1), mutational burden and immune gene signatures as biomarkers. RESULTS: Eighty-two patients were randomized and received immune-chemo (N=49) or chemo-only (N=33), 16 patients continued to the ipi/nivo-only cross-over arm. Median follow-up was 41.4 months. Serious adverse events occurred in 63% in the immune-chemo arm, 39% in the chemo-only arm and 31% in the cross-over-arm. In the PP population (N=78) median PFS in the immune-chemo arm was 5.1 months, compared with 3.6 months in the chemo-only arm, with HR 0.94 (95% CI 0.59 to 1.51). Clinical benefit rates were 55% (26/47) and 48% (15/31) in the immune-chemo and chemo-only arms, respectively. In the cross-over-arm (ipi/nivo-only), objective responses were observed in 19% of patients (3/16) and clinical benefit in 25% (4/16). Treg levels in blood decreased after study chemotherapy. High-grade immune-related adverse events were associated with prolonged PFS. PD-L1 status and mutational burden were not associated with ipi/nivo benefit, whereas a numerical PFS advantage was observed for patients with a high Treg gene signature in tumor. CONCLUSION: The addition of ipi/nivo to chemotherapy increased toxicity without improving efficacy. Ipi/nivo administered sequentially to chemotherapy was tolerable and induced clinical responses. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT03409198.

Human small intestine contains 2 functionally distinct regulatory T-cell subsets.

BACKGROUND: Regulatory T (Treg) CD4 cells in mouse gut are mainly specific for intestinal antigens and play an important role in the suppression of immune responses against harmless dietary antigens and members of the microbiota. However, information about the phenotype and function of Treg cells in the human gut is limited. OBJECTIVE: We performed a detailed characterization of Foxp3+ CD4 Treg cells in human normal small intestine (SI) as well as from transplanted duodenum and celiac disease lesions. METHODS: Treg cells and conventional CD4 T cells derived from SI were subjected to extensive immunophenotyping and their suppressive activity and ability to produce cytokines assessed. RESULTS: SI Foxp3+ CD4 T cells were CD45RA-CD127-CTLA-4+ and suppressed proliferation of autologous T cells. Approximately 60% of Treg cells expressed the transcription factor Helios. When stimulated, Helios-negative Treg cells produced IL-17, IFN-γ, and IL-10, whereas Helios-positive Treg cells produced very low levels of these cytokines. By sampling mucosal tissue from transplanted human duodenum, we demonstrated that donor Helios-negative Treg cells persisted for at least 1 year after transplantation. In normal SI, Foxp3+ Treg cells constituted only 2% of all CD4 T cells, while in active celiac disease, both Helios-negative and Helios-positive subsets expanded 5- to 10-fold. CONCLUSION: The SI contains 2 subsets of Treg cells with different phenotypes and functional capacities. Both subsets are scarce in healthy gut but increase dramatically in active celiac disease.

Atezolizumab plus anthracycline-based chemotherapy in metastatic triple-negative breast cancer: the randomized, double-blind phase 2b ALICE trial.

Immune checkpoint inhibitors have shown efficacy against metastatic triple-negative breast cancer (mTNBC) but only for PD-L1positive disease. The randomized, placebo-controlled ALICE trial ( NCT03164993 , 24 May 2017) evaluated the addition of atezolizumab (anti-PD-L1) to immune-stimulating chemotherapy in mTNBC. Patients received pegylated liposomal doxorubicin (PLD) and low-dose cyclophosphamide in combination with atezolizumab (atezo-chemo; n = 40) or placebo (placebo-chemo; n = 28). Primary endpoints were descriptive assessment of progression-free survival in the per-protocol population (>3 atezolizumab and >2 PLD doses; n = 59) and safety in the full analysis set (FAS; all patients starting therapy; n = 68). Adverse events leading to drug discontinuation occurred in 18% of patients in the atezo-chemo arm (7/40) and in 7% of patients in the placebo-chemo arm (2/28). Improvement in progression-free survival was indicated in the atezo-chemo arm in the per-protocol population (median 4.3 months versus 3.5 months; hazard ratio (HR) = 0.57; 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.33-0.99; log-rank P = 0.047) and in the FAS (HR = 0.56; 95% CI 0.33-0.95; P = 0.033). A numerical advantage was observed for both the PD-L1positive (n = 27; HR = 0.65; 95% CI 0.27-1.54) and PD-L1negative subgroups (n = 31; HR = 0.57, 95% CI 0.27-1.21). The progression-free proportion after 15 months was 14.7% (5/34; 95% CI 6.4-30.1%) in the atezo-chemo arm versus 0% in the placebo-chemo arm. The addition of atezolizumab to PLD/cyclophosphamide was tolerable with an indication of clinical benefit, and the findings warrant further investigation of PD1/PD-L1 blockers in combination with immunomodulatory chemotherapy.

CD4+ T cells persist for years in the human small intestine and display a TH1 cytokine profile.

Studies in mice and humans have shown that CD8+ T cell immunosurveillance in non-lymphoid tissues is dominated by resident populations. Whether CD4+ T cells use the same strategies to survey peripheral tissues is less clear. Here, examining the turnover of CD4+ T cells in transplanted duodenum in humans, we demonstrate that the majority of CD4+ T cells were still donor-derived one year after transplantation. In contrast to memory CD4+ T cells in peripheral blood, intestinal CD4+ TRM cells expressed CD69 and CD161, but only a minor fraction expressed CD103. Functionally, intestinal CD4+ TRM cells were very potent cytokine producers; the vast majority being polyfunctional TH1 cells, whereas a minor fraction produced IL-17. Interestingly, a fraction of intestinal CD4+ T cells produced granzyme-B and perforin after activation. Together, we show that the intestinal CD4+ T-cell compartment is dominated by resident populations that survive for more than 1 year. This finding is of high relevance for the development of oral vaccines and therapies for diseases in the gut.

Resident memory CD8 T cells persist for years in human small intestine.

Resident memory CD8 T (Trm) cells have been shown to provide effective protective responses in the small intestine (SI) in mice. A better understanding of the generation and persistence of SI CD8 Trm cells in humans may have implications for intestinal immune-mediated diseases and vaccine development. Analyzing normal and transplanted human SI, we demonstrated that the majority of SI CD8 T cells were bona fide CD8 Trm cells that survived for >1 yr in the graft. Intraepithelial and lamina propria CD8 Trm cells showed a high clonal overlap and a repertoire dominated by expanded clones, conserved both spatially in the intestine and over time. Functionally, lamina propria CD8 Trm cells were potent cytokine producers, exhibiting a polyfunctional (IFN-γ+ IL-2+ TNF-α+) profile, and efficiently expressed cytotoxic mediators after stimulation. These results suggest that SI CD8 Trm cells could be relevant targets for future oral vaccines and therapeutic strategies for gut disorders.

RNA-seq Analysis Reveals Unique Transcriptome Signatures in Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Patients with Distinct Autoantibody Specificities.

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) patients exhibit immense heterogeneity which is challenging from the diagnostic perspective. Emerging high throughput sequencing technologies have been proved to be a useful platform to understand the complex and dynamic disease processes. SLE patients categorised based on autoantibody specificities are reported to have differential immuno-regulatory mechanisms. Therefore, we performed RNA-seq analysis to identify transcriptomics of SLE patients with distinguished autoantibody specificities. The SLE patients were segregated into three subsets based on the type of autoantibodies present in their sera (anti-dsDNA+ group with anti-dsDNA autoantibody alone; anti-ENA+ group having autoantibodies against extractable nuclear antigens (ENA) only, and anti-dsDNA+ENA+ group having autoantibodies to both dsDNA and ENA). Global transcriptome profiling for each SLE patients subsets was performed using Illumina® Hiseq-2000 platform. The biological relevance of dysregulated transcripts in each SLE subsets was assessed by ingenuity pathway analysis (IPA) software. We observed that dysregulation in the transcriptome expression pattern was clearly distinct in each SLE patients subsets. IPA analysis of transcripts uniquely expressed in different SLE groups revealed specific biological pathways to be affected in each SLE subsets. Multiple cytokine signaling pathways were specifically dysregulated in anti-dsDNA+ patients whereas Interferon signaling was predominantly dysregulated in anti-ENA+ patients. In anti-dsDNA+ENA+ patients regulation of actin based motility by Rho pathway was significantly affected. The granulocyte gene signature was a common feature to all SLE subsets; however, anti-dsDNA+ group showed relatively predominant expression of these genes. Dysregulation of Plasma cell related transcripts were higher in anti-dsDNA+ and anti-ENA+ patients as compared to anti-dsDNA+ ENA+. Association of specific canonical pathways with the uniquely expressed transcripts in each SLE subgroup indicates that specific immunological disease mechanisms are operative in distinct SLE patients' subsets. This 'sub-grouping' approach could further be useful for clinical evaluation of SLE patients and devising targeted therapeutics.

Prevalence and Association of Mycobacterium avium subspecies paratuberculosis with Disease Course in Patients with Ulcero-Constrictive Ileocolonic Disease.

BACKGROUND: Association of Mycobacterium avium subspecies paratuberculosis (MAP) and Crohn's disease (CD) has been controversial due to contradictory reports. Therefore, we determined the prevalence of MAP in patients with CD and intestinal tuberculosis (ITB) and its association with clinical course. METHODOLOGY: Blood and intestinal biopsies were taken from 69 CD, 32 ITB patients and 41 patients with haemorrhoidal bleed who served as controls. qPCR targeting of MAP-specific IS900 gene was used to detect the presence of MAP DNA. qPCR results were further validated by sequencing. Immunohistochemistry (IHC) was used to detect the presence of MAP antigen in biopsy specimens. CD and ITB patients were followed-up for disease course and response to therapy. PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: The frequency of MAP-specific DNA in biopsies by qPCR was significantly higher in CD patients (23.2%, p = 0.03) as compared to controls (7.3%). No significant difference in intestinal MAP presence was observed between ITB patients (12.5%, p = 0.6) and controls (7.3%). MAP presence in blood of CD patients was 10.1% as compared to 4.9% in controls while no patients with ITB were found to be positive (p = 0.1). Using IHC for detection of MAP antigen, the prevalence of MAP in CD was 2.9%, 12.5% in ITB patients and 2.4% in controls. However, long-term follow-up of the patients revealed no significant associations between clinical characteristics and treatment outcomes with MAP positivity. CONCLUSION: We report significantly high prevalence of MAP in intestinal biopsies of CD patients. However, the presence of MAP does not affect the disease course and treatment outcomes in either CD or ITB patients.

Differential clearance mechanisms, neutrophil extracellular trap degradation and phagocytosis, are operative in systemic lupus erythematosus patients with distinct autoantibody specificities.

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) patients are generally presented with autoantibodies against either dsDNA or RNA-associated antigens (also known as extractable nuclear antigens, ENA) or both. However, the mechanisms and processes that lead to this distinctive autoantibody profile are not well understood. Defects in clearance mechanism i.e. phagocytosis may lead to enhanced microbial and cellular debris of immunogenic potential. In addition to defective phagocytosis, impaired neutrophil extracellular trap (NET) degradation has been recently reported in SLE patients. However, the extent to which both these clearance processes (NET-degradation and phagocytosis) are operative in serologically distinguished subsets of SLE patients is not established. Therefore, in this report, we evaluated NET-degradation and phagocytosis efficiency among SLE patients with different autoantibody specificities. SLE patients were classified into three subsets based on their autoantibody profile (anti-dsDNA, anti-ENA or both) as determined by ELISA. NET-degradation by SLE and control sera was assessed by sytox orange-based fluorescence assay. Neutrophil-mediated phagocytosis in the presence of SLE and control sera was determined by flowcytometry. The segregation of SLE patients revealed significant differences in NET-degradation and phagocytosis in SLE patients with autoantibodies against dsDNA and ENA. We report that NET-degradation efficiency was significantly impaired in SLE patients with anti-dsDNA autoantibodies and not in those with anti-ENA autoantibodies. In contrast to NET-degradation, neutrophil-mediated phagocytosis was impaired in all three subsets independent of autoantibody specificity. These observations suggest that varying clearance mechanisms are operative in SLE subsets with anti-dsDNA or anti-ENA autoantibodies. The results outlined in this manuscript also suggest that sub-grouping of SLE patients could be useful in delineating the molecular and pathological processes that are often missed when SLE patients are studied as a single group. Further, it will be imperative to propose that therapies targeted at improving NET clearance can be effective in anti-dsDNA(+) SLE patients.

Heat shock protein 27 and its regulatory molecules express differentially in SLE patients with distinct autoantibody profiles.

Generation of autoantigens of nuclear origin, like dsDNA and extractable nuclear antigens (ENA) have largely been associated with dysregulated apoptosis and defective clearance of apoptotic debris in SLE. Heat shock protein (HSP) 27 has been reported to have anti-apoptotic properties hence it was of interest to study the expression of HSP27 and its regulatory molecule Brn3a and hsa-miR-939 in SLE patients with distinct autoantibodies specificities. SLE patients were categorized into three subsets based on their distinct sero-positivity for either anti-dsDNA antibody alone (anti-dsDNA(+) group) or anti-ENA antibody alone (anti-ENA(+) group) or both (anti-dsDNA(+) ENA(+) group). We investigated the mRNA and protein expression of HSP27 and Brn3a in peripheral blood leukocytes (PBLs) by real-time reverse transcriptase PCR and Western blotting. Expression of apoptosis markers caspase 3 and poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) was determined by Western blotting. Hsa-miR-939 expression was determined using TaqMan(®) miRNA assay. In this study, we report significant downregulation of HSP27 in anti-ENA(+) patients and increased expression of caspase 3 and PARP in both anti-ENA(+) and anti-dsDNA(+) SLE subsets. A negative correlation was observed between the expression of HSP27 and apoptosis markers caspase 3 and PARP. Decreased Brn3a expression was observed in anti-ENA(+) SLE patients, which correlated positively with HSP27 expression. Expression of hsa-miR-939, which has a potential target site for Brn3a 3' UTR, was also elevated specifically in anti-ENA(+) patients. The decreased expressions of HSP27, Brn3a along with elevated levels of hsa-miR-939 are selectively associated with anti-ENA(+) patients and HSP27 was observed to be inversely associated with apoptosis. These findings are suggestive of distinct regulatory processes operative in SLE patient subsets with different autoantibody specificities.

Decreased toll-like receptor-4/myeloid differentiation factor 88 response leads to defective interleukin-1ß production in term low birth weight newborns.

BACKGROUND: Morbidity and mortality rates are very high in low birth weight (LBW) newborns because of their increased susceptibility to infections compared with normal birth weight (NBW) newborns. A case and control study was designed to identify the status of toll-like receptor-4 (TLR-4) signaling and maternally derived immunoglobulin-G (IgG) subclasses in term LBW newborns compared with NBW newborns. METHODS: To understand the basis of increased susceptibility to infections in LBW newborns, the levels of pro- and antiinflammatory cytokines interleukin-1ß (IL-1ß) and interleukin-10 (IL-10), respectively, released in response to lipopolysaccharide (LPS) stimulation of cord blood cells of LBW (n = 20) and NBW (n = 18) newborns, were quantified by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Further, LPS-induced expression of TLR-4 and basal and LPS-induced expression of myeloid differentiation factor 88 (MyD88) were examined at mRNA levels in both groups. The levels of IgG subclasses in LBW (n = 20) and NBW (n = 18) newborns were quantified by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay to explore the role of maternally derived immunity in LBW newborns. RESULTS: LPS-mediated release of IL-1ß was significantly diminished in LBW newborns when compared with NBW newborns, whereas there was no significant difference in IL-10. Decreased production of IL-1ß in LBW newborns was correlated with reduced expression of TLR-4 and MyD88 mRNA. No significant differences were observed in the levels of all 4 IgG subclasses between LBW and NBW newborns. CONCLUSIONS: Decreased production of IL-1ß in LBW newborns was correlated with reduced expression of TLR-4 and MyD88 mRNA. This raises the possibility of increased susceptibility to infections in LBW when compared with the NBW newborns at term. Comparable levels of IgG subclasses in the 2 groups of newborns indicate that IgG is not a limiting factor in defense against infection in LBW newborns.

Differential microRNA profile and post-transcriptional regulation exist in systemic lupus erythematosus patients with distinct autoantibody specificities.

PURPOSE: Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) patients have anti-nuclear autoantibodies directed against dsDNA and RNA-associated antigens (extractable nuclear antigens; ENA). In this study, we investigated the differences in microRNA (miRNA) expression and its biological implications in SLE patients with distinct autoantibody specificities. METHODS: The SLE patients were grouped into three subsets based on the type of autoantibodies present in their sera (anti- ENA+ group with autoantibodies against ENA alone; antidsDNA+ group having autoantibodies against dsDNA only, and anti-ENA+dsDNA+ group having autoantibodies to both dsDNA and ENA). Global miRNA expression profiling was done for each of these three groups using TaqMan® low density miRNA arrays. RESULTS: We report that different sets of miRNAs are dysregulated in SLE patients with different autoantibody specificities. Further, Ingenuity pathway analysis (IPA) software revealed specific biological pathways that were targeted by miRNAs dysregulated in different SLE subsets. Molecules involved in cell cycle and cytoskeleton remodeling were the prime targets of miRNAs dysregulated in anti-ENA+ patients whereas miRNAs dysregulated in anti-dsDNA+ patients were found to be implicated in multiple cytokine signaling pathways. IPA analysis of gene targets of miRNAs commonly dysregulated in all three SLE subsets identified several metabolic-, hormone-, and interferon-related pathways to be affected. CONCLUSION: The differential miRNA expression in patients with distinct autoantibodies is suggestive of different regulatory mechanisms operating among them. Based on these observations, we are hopeful that this 'sub-grouping' approach could be used to identify other defective processes associated with varying disease manifestations in SLE and may be considered when designing therapeutic interventions.

Decreased pattern recognition receptor signaling, interferon-signature, and bactericidal/permeability-increasing protein gene expression in cord blood of term low birth weight human newborns.

BACKGROUND: Morbidity and mortality rates of low birth weight (LBW) newborns at term are higher than rates in normal birth weight (NBW) newborns. LBW newborns are at greater risk to acquire recurrent bacterial and viral infections during their first few weeks of life possibly as an outcome of compromised innate immune functions. As adaptive immunity is in a naive state, increased risk of infection of LBW as compared to NBW newborns may reflect impairments in innate immunity. METHODOLOGY: To characterize the increased susceptibility to infections in LBW newborns we used microarray technology to identify differences in gene expression in LBW newborns (n = 8) compared to NBW newborns (n = 4) using cord blood. The results obtained from the microarray study were validated on a larger number of samples using real time RT-PCR (LBW = 22, NBW = 18) and western blotting (LBW = 12, NBW = 12). The Interferome database was used to identify interferon (IFN) signature genes and ingenuity pathway analysis identified canonical pathways and biological functions associated with the differentially expressed genes in LBW newborns. ELISAs for IFNs and bactericidal/permeability-increasing protein were performed in both LBW and NBW newborns and in adults (LBW = 18, NBW = 18, Adults= 8). PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Upon microarray analysis, we identified 1,391 differentially expressed genes, of which, 1,065 genes were down-regulated and 326 genes were up-regulated in the LBW compared to NBW newborns. Of note, 70 IFN-signature genes were found to be significantly down-regulated in LBW compared to NBW newborns. Ingenuity pathway analysis revealed pattern recognition receptors signaling including Toll-Like Receptors (TLRs) -1, -5, and -8 genes and IFN signaling as the most significantly impacted pathways. Respiratory infectious diseases were the most significantly affected bio-functions in LBW newborns. CONCLUSION AND SIGNIFICANCE: Diminished PRRs, IFN-signature, and BPI gene expression raises the possibility that impairments in these pathways contribute to the susceptibility of LBW term infants to infection.

Distinct autoantibody profiles in systemic lupus erythematosus patients are selectively associated with TLR7 and TLR9 upregulation.

PURPOSE: Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) patients have a wide array of autoantibodies against nuclear antigens. The two predominant classes of these autoantibodies are directed either against dsDNA or RNA-associated antigens (extractable nuclear antigens; ENA). Nucleic-acid sensing Toll-like receptors (TLRs) that recognize dsDNA and RNA, have been well implicated in some murine models of SLE. We took up this study to identify if unique TLR expression patterns are associated with distinct autoantibody profiles in SLE. METHODS: We segregated the patients into three subsets distinguished on the basis of autoantibody response either against dsDNA or ENA or both. We determined the mRNA expression of TLR3, 7, 8, and 9 by real-time reverse-transcription PCR in peripheral blood leucocytes (PBLs) of the SLE patients of all three subsets. TLR7 and 9 protein expression was determined by western blotting in PBLs and by flow cytometry on B-cells and monocytes. The serum interferon-alpha (IFN-α) and anti-dsDNA/-ENA autoantibodies were detected using enzyme-linked immunosorbant assay. RESULTS: We report differential and unique TLR expression patterns associated with different autoantibody profiles. The presence of anti-ENA and anti-dsDNA autoantibodies in SLE patients was associated with elevated levels of TLR7 and TLR9 respectively. The TLR9 mRNA expression was further augmented in SLE patients with Glomerulonephritis. Interestingly, anti-dsDNA(+) ENA(+) patients displayed higher serum IFN-α and interferon regulatory factor 7 mRNA expression than patients with either anti-dsDNA or anti-ENA autoantibodies alone. CONCLUSION: Characteristic TLRs expression profile associated with distinct autoantibody repertoire is suggestive of differential immuno-regulatory pathways operative in different subsets of SLE patients.