Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
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Query: UMLS:C0024141 (systemic lupus erythematosus)
 44,322 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

This study reports quantitative information on the concentration of complement receptor for C3b and C4b (CR1) on erythrocytes from normal individuals and patients with immune complex disease. The measurements were performed by an immunoradiometric assay using monoclonal antibodies against CR1. The antibody specificity was confirmed by immunoprecipitation of CR1 from extracts of surface-labeled cells, by inhibition of rosette formation between B lymphocytes and the erythrocytes intermediate EAC14oxy23b, and by the characteristic distribution of the antigen among cells of human peripheral blood. The number of CR1 molecules in erythrocytes from 52 normal individuals was estimated as 1,410 +/- 620. No significant differences in CR1 levels were observed when individuals were grouped by sex, age, or blood groups. In patients with SLE and rheumatoid arthritis, the number of CR1 molecules per RBC was significantly lower, i.e., 600 +/- 307 and 903 +/- 417, respectively. CR1 levels were normal in asthmatics undergoing long-term treatment with prednisone. In SLE patients, significant correlations were found between CR1 levels, C4 hemolytic titers, and levels of circulating immune complexes. In two out of four patients with SLE, CR1 levels increased significantly during remission, showing that the deficiency is, at least in part, reversible. The deficiency in CR1 could be genetically controlled or could represent an epiphenomenon caused by the interaction of the receptor with a ligand present in the circulation of patients.
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PMID:Complement receptor (CR1) deficiency in erythrocytes from patients with systemic lupus erythematosus. 697 75

To investigate the interaction of DNA and anti-DNA antibodies in the immune complex disease of systemic lupus erythematosus, the fine specificity of binding of a monoclonal anti-DNA antibody was determined. This antibody, termed Cll, was derived from the fusion of spleen cells from an autoimmune MRL-lpr/lpr mouse with the myeloma cell line M45. In a solid-phase ELISA assay to measure anti-DNA activity, Cll showed preference for single stranded compared to double stranded DNA of animal origin. The Cll antibody also bound some deoxyribohomopolymers as well as ribohomopolymers, but failed to bind synthetic DNA duplexes. Defined size oligonucleotides with a size range of 2-(12-18) failed to inhibit the binding of Cll to single stranded DNA. This pattern of binding is consistent with the recognition of a unique structural determinant that can be represented by a variety of nucleic acids. The absence of antigenic activity among the oligonucleotides suggests that an extended polynucleotide structure is required for antibody binding, possibly because of a bivalent or 'monogamous' mode of interaction. The binding properties of Cll further suggest that its ability to participate in immune complex formation may be limited by the nature of the available DNA antigen.
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PMID:Binding specificity of a monoclonal anti-DNA antibody. 711 Jan 40

Solubilization of an immune precipitate by serum is a complement function mediated by the alternative pathway and enhanced by the classical pathway--it therefore provides the basis of a simple quantitative assessment of the integrity of complement function. Using a preformed radiolabelled precipitate of BSA-alpha BSA Ab, the solubilization capacity of serial sera from 75 patients with various immune complex diseases or diseases associated with hypocomplementaemia was investigated to correlate this assay of complement function prospectively with disease activity and with measurements of circulating immune complexes (CIC). Reduction in solubilization, defined by more than 25% of values in a given patient being below the normal range, was found in 11 of 12 patients with active SLE, two of 19 patients with active systemic vasculitis, three of three patients with post-streptococcal glomerulonephritis and in three of six patients with nephrotic syndrome due to other types of nephritis. In serial studies, solubilization correlated with disease activity in patients with SLE (P less than 0.005), systemic vasculitis (P less than 0.05) and post-streptococcal glomerulonephritis (P less than 0.05). CIC were found more frequently than abnormalities in solubilization; however, the solubilization assay identified a population of patients with CIC more likely to have active disease. This simple assay of complement function provides data on an aspect of immune complex disease not readily apparent from standard estimations of circulating immune complexes, and appears to be a better measure of their potential phlogistic effects.
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PMID:Complement-mediated solubilization in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus, nephritis or vasculitis. 733 80

The pathogenesis of proteinuria associated with immune complex disease is incompletely understood. A quantitative electron-microscopic study was undertaken to determine the relative contribution of lesions in capillary loops and mesangial basement membrane areas and their possible correlations to urinary protein excretion data. Pathologic features including the loss of foot processes (and slit diaphragms), the formation of junctional complexes in visceral epithelium, and the distribution of immune complexes in basement membrane were assessed in glomeruli of mice with lupus nephritis. Swiss albino mice served as control animals. In control animals the distribution of split pores per unit length of basement membrane was approximately 60% higher in capillary loop compared to mesangial basement membrane areas. In mice with lupus nephritis, the reduction in the number of slit pores per unit length of basement membrane to 30% or less of normal, the formation of epithelial junctions, and the relative distribution of immune complexes were not statistically different in capillary versus mesangial basement membrane areas. Animals with murine lupus showed poorly selective proteinuria, but the correlation between features studied and extent of protein excretion was poor. The results of these studies 1) establish the relative distribution of slit pores in mesangial and peripheral loop basement membrane, 2) demonstrate that glomerular changes associated with immune complex deposition are comparable in capillary and mesangial basement membrane areas, and 3) are consistent with a focal and nonuniform alteration in glomerular permeability properties associated with immune complex disease.
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PMID:Glomerular permeability: ultrastructural quantitative studies relating proteinuria to pathologic features in murine lupus nephritis. 744 5

Experimental systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) can be induced in mice by immunization with a human monoclonal anti-DNA Ab, bearing a major Id 16/6Id. Immunized mice initially produce Abs to 16/6Id, DNA and nuclear Ags, and subsequently develop various clinical manifestations including leukopenia and renal immune complex disease. MHC class I Ags play a critical role in the induction and progression of experimental SLE. The present study reports that ocular changes also occur in mice with experimental SLE. The ocular disease is characterized by bilateral subacute and chronic inflammation of the eyelids (blepharitis) with immune complex IgG deposition and hypertrophic meibomian glands. The severity of ocular changes was strain dependent: most severe in 129 mice, less intense in BALB/c animals and only minimal in C3H.SW mice. No blepharitis developed in mice deficient in MHC class I expression. Further, the disease was strongly inhibited in BALB/c mice treated with methimazole, an agent that has been shown to repress transcription of MHC class I. In these cases, there was no IgG deposition and a decreased infiltration of inflammatory cells in the eyelids. These observations thus suggest that, similar to the observation with experimental SLE, MHC class I is critical in the onset of this experimental autoimmune blepharitis. The new experimental eye disease described here provides an animal model for chronic blepharitis in humans, a common condition for which such a model has been sought.
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PMID:Periocular inflammation in mice with experimental systemic lupus erythematosus. A new experimental blepharitis and its modulation. 772 31

Allelic variants of Fc gamma R confer distinct phagocytic capacities providing a mechanism for heritable susceptibility to immune complex disease. Human Fc gamma RIIa has two codominantly expressed alleles, R131 and H131, which differ substantially in their ability to ligate human IgG2. The Fc gamma RIIa-H131 is the only human Fc gamma R which recognizes IgG2 efficiently and optimal IgG2 handling occurs only in the homozygous state. Therefore, since immune complex clearance is essential in SLE, we hypothesized that Fc gamma RIIA genes are important disease susceptibility factors for SLE, particularly lupus nephritis. In a two-stage cross-sectional study, we compared the distribution of Fc gamma RIIA alleles in African Americans with SLE to that in African American non-SLE controls. A pilot study of 43 SLE patients and 39 controls demonstrated a skewed distribution of Fc gamma RIIA alleles, with only 9% of SLE patients homozygous for Fc gamma RIIa-H131 compared with 36% of controls (odds ratio, 0.18; 95% CI, 0.05-0.69, P = 0.009). This was confirmed with a multicenter study of 214 SLE patients and 100 non-SLE controls. The altered distribution of Fc gamma RIIA alleles was most striking in lupus nephritis. Trend analysis of the genotype distribution showed a highly significant decrease in Fc gamma RIIA-H131 as the likelihood for lupus nephritis increased (P = 0.0004) consistent with a protective effect of the Fc gamma RIIA-H131 gene. The skewing in the distribution of Fc gamma RIIA alleles identifies this gene as a risk factor with pathophysiologic importance for the SLE diathesis in African Americans.
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PMID:Fc gamma RIIA alleles are heritable risk factors for lupus nephritis in African Americans. 863 49

Complement component C4 is an important protein of the classical, or antibody-mediated pathway of complement activation. Human C4 is located within the central region of the major histocompatibility complex on chromosome 6. Partial C4 deficiency has been associated with an increased susceptibility to immune complex disease. The strongest association with partial C4 deficiency is with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and has been shown in most racial groups studied. Interestingly, Caucasian population studies have demonstrated an increased prevalence of C4A null alleles in SLE patients, in particular in association with the haplotype HLA-A1, B8, BfS, C4AQ0, C4B1, DR3. To investigate whether the C4 gene on this haplotype had any structural irregularities which may explain disease association, we sequenced the entire C4B gene from this haplotype. The results revealed that the gene encoded on the disease-associated haplotype carried major structural differences (when compared to C4A3) at the exonic level only in the C4d region. A high degree of conservation in both the 5' and 3' untranslated regions imply that disease associations will not be due to differential C4 expression as a result of regulatory differences between C4 genes. It appears likely that protein clearance mechanisms may account for the altered levels of C4 seen between different isotypes.
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PMID:Comparative analysis of the disease-associated complement C4 gene from the HLA-A1, B8, DR3 haplotype. 885 88

Classical immunosuppressants like cyclophosphamide give excellent results in human lupus nephritis. However, they augment malignancies and viral infections. Here we investigated the effect of the new immunosuppressant agent, mycophenolate mofetil (MMF), in New Zealand Black x New Zealand White (NZBxW) F1 hybrid mice, a model of genetically determined immune complex disease that mimics systemic lupus in humans. MMF has a selective antiproliferative effect on T- and B-lymphocytes, inhibits antibody formation and blocks the glycosylation of lymphocyte glycoproteins involved in the adhesion of leukocytes to endothelial cells. Two groups of NZBxW mice were used: group 1 (N = 20) given daily MMF (60 mg/kg p.o.) and group 2 (N = 15) given daily vehicle alone. Treatment started at three months of age and lasted until the death of the animals. Results showed that percentage of proteinuric mice was significantly reduced by MMF treatment and serum BUN levels were also lower than vehicle. MMF had a suppressive effect on autoantibody production and protected animals from leukopenia and anemia. Life survival of MMF treated lupus mice was significantly improved in respect to untreated animals. Thus, MMF delayed renal function deterioration and prolonged life survival in murine lupus nephritis. MMF has been already recognized as reasonably well tolerated in renal transplant patients and despite its gastrointestinal toxicity its overall safety profile appears superior to azathioprine. Human studies are needed to establish whether MMF may function as a steroid-sparing drug in lupus nephritis.
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PMID:Mycophenolate mofetil limits renal damage and prolongs life in murine lupus autoimmune disease. 915 Apr 76

Mononuclear cell infiltration in glomeruli and renal interstitium is a prominent feature of some types of glomerulonephritis, including lupus nephritis. The mechanism(s) underlying monocyte influx into the kidney is not fully understood. Recently, monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1) has been identified as a chemotactic factor involved in the recruitment of monocytes/macrophages in the glomeruli of rats with mesangioproliferative as well as anti-glomerular basement membrane glomerulonephritis. In the study presented here, renal MCP-1 mRNA expression in New Zealand Black x New Zealand White (NZB/W) F1 mice, a model of genetically determined immune complex disease that mimics systemic lupus in humans, was investigated. Northern blot analysis revealed a single 0.7 kb MCP-1 transcript of very low intensity in kidneys from 2-month-old NZB/W mice that had not yet developed proteinuria nor renal damage. Message levels, which increased markedly with the progression of nephritis and in association with mononuclear cell infiltration, were 10- and 15- fold higher in 8-10-month-old mice than in 2-month-old mice. By in situ hybridization, increased expression of MCP-1 mRNA was demonstrated in glomeruli and, even more striking, in tubular epithelial cells. Western blot analysis demonstrated increased expression of MCP-1 protein in kidneys of 10-month-old NZB/W mice, consistent with MCP-1 mRNA data. When NZB/W mice were treated with cyclophosphamide up to 12 months of age, expression of MCP-1 in the renal tissue remained low, the influx of inflammatory cells did not appear, and glomerular and tubular structures remained well preserved. These data suggest that elevated MCP-1 might act as a signal for inflammatory cells to infiltrate the kidney in lupus nephritis.
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PMID:Renal expression of monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 in lupus autoimmune mice. 917 41

The objective of the present study was to investigate the prevalence, clinical characteristics, and HLA association of C2 deficiency in the Brazilian population. The frequency of C2 deficiency profile (C2Q degree profile) was 2.2% among 1503 blood donors and 6.6% among 166 patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). A higher incidence of clinical manifestations possibly related to immune complex disease was observed among blood donors with C2Q degree profile and their relatives with C2Q degree profile when compared to the normal C2 relatives. The comparison of clinical and laboratory features between SLE patients with C2Q degree profile and those with normal C2 revealed earlier disease onset, higher frequency of oral ulcerations and lower frequency of anti-native DNA antibodies in the first group. The HLA study conducted on 18 individuals with C2Q degree profile (11 blood donors and 7 SLE patients) confirmed the previously reported association with the antigens HLA-A25, B18 and DR2, supporting the concept that probably most C2 deficiency cases, throughout the world, are due to a single mutation in the C2 gene in linkage disequilibrium with the A25B18DR2 haplotype.
Lupus 1997
PMID:C2 deficiency in blood donors and lupus patients: prevalence, clinical characteristics and HLA-associations in the Brazilian population. 922 66


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