Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
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Query: UMLS:C0409974 (lupus)
 22,386 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Cytokines are believed to play an important role in the pathogenesis of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). However, for tumour necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha) both beneficial and deleterious effects have been reported. To obtain information about the involvement of this cytokine in the pathophysiology of SLE, serum levels of TNF-alpha, the soluble forms of the 55 and 75 kDa tumour necrosis factor receptors (TNF-R55 and TNF-R75), and interleukin-6 (IL-6) were measured by ELISA in nine female patients over a period of 2 yr. Compared to healthy controls, levels of TNF-alpha (median 47 pg/ml, range < 15-222 pg/ml), TNF-R55 (median 1.9 ng/ml, range 0.8-10.8 ng/ml), TNF-R75 (median 4.7 ng/ml, range 1.5-15 ng/ml) and IL-6 (median 3.5 pg/ml, range < 3.5-52 pg/ml) were significantly elevated in SLE patients (P < 0.0001 vs controls in all cases). There were strong correlations between TNF-alpha and its soluble receptors (P < 0.0001). Moreover, TNF-alpha and both TNF-Rs strongly correlated with clinical and serological parameters of disease activity, such as the European Consensus Lupus Activity Measurement (ECLAM) score, anti-dsDNA antibodies, C-reactive protein (CRP), erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) and anaemia (P < 0.0001 for all comparisons). TNF-alpha and TNF-R75 also correlated with IL-6 (P < 0.0001). However, no correlation between IL-6 and ECLAM was found, and the correlation of IL-6 with anti-dsDNA was relatively weak; in contrast, IL-6 correlated strongly with CRP and ESR (P < 0.0001). Although these data do not allow us ultimately to discriminate between beneficial and deleterious effects of TNF-alpha, they nevertheless suggest a central role for the TNF system in the pathophysiology of SLE.
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PMID:Tumour necrosis factor alpha and its soluble receptors parallel clinical disease and autoimmune activity in systemic lupus erythematosus. 894 91

In systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) serum TNF is increased and correlates with its soluble receptors and with disease activity. We therefore investigated (i) whether the TNF in SLE serum is bioactive, (ii) whether SLE cells react to TNF and (iii) whether there are associations with cell death, which is regarded as pathogenic in SLE. Sera from active SLE patients induced an increase in fibroblast CD54, which was abolished by blocking antibodies against TNF, suggesting TNF bioactivity. SLE lymphocytes had a similar surface expression of TNF-RI as healthy lymphocytes, their expression of TNF-RII was slightly increased. Recombinant TNF induced cell death in PBMC of SLE patients, suggesting functional receptors. Serum levels of sTNF-RII (as a surrogate marker for TNF activity) correlated with sTNF-RI and disease activity, as expected, and also correlated with the percentage of dying lymphocytes and with lymphocytic CD95. SLE sera contain increased amounts of biologically active TNF. Peripheral blood lymphocytes of SLE patients express functional TNF receptors. Finally, associations with cell death and CD95 receptors suggest that TNF may be pathogenic in SLE.
Lupus 2002
PMID:Increased bioactive TNF in human systemic lupus erythematosus: associations with cell death. 1195 72

It is generally accepted that the interaction between CD40 and its ligand (CD154) plays a decisive role in contact-dependent help for T and B cells. In CD154-deficient MRL/Mp-Fas(lpr) (MRL/lpr) mice, however, high titres of IgG2a-type autoantibodies against small nuclear ribonucleoproteins (snRNPs) are observed. We successfully isolated two CD154-deficient MRL/lpr Th1 lines, which could provide B cell help for anti-snRNP antibody production. The proliferative responses of the Th1 cell lines were MHC class II (I-Ek)-restricted. Although syngeneic B cell proliferation was induced by Th1 lines in both a contact-dependent and -independent manner, the soluble form of TNF-alpha (sTNF-alpha) was not involved in contact-independent B cell proliferation. On the other hand, both anti-TNF-alpha and TNF-receptor 2 (TNF-R2, p75) monoclonal antibody (MoAb) blocked contact-dependent B cell proliferation, suggesting that the transmembrane form of TNF-alpha (mTNF-alpha)-TNF-R2 co-stimulation participates in B cell activation. Similarly, anti-TNF-alpha and TNF-R2 MoAb inhibited anti-snRNP antibody production in vitro, but anti-CD154 or TNF-R1 MoAb did not. These results indicate that the interaction of mTNF-alpha on activated Th1 cells with TNF-R2 on B cells may be involved in the autoimmunity seen in MRL mice, and that the blockade of CD40-CD154 co-stimulation may not always be able to suppress some Th1-related manifestations of lupus.
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PMID:The transmembrane form of TNF-alpha drives autoantibody production in the absence of CD154: studies using MRL/Mp-Fas(lpr) mice. 1239 Mar 9

Lupus-prone (MRLxC57BL/6) F(1) mice lacking gammadelta T cells show more severe lupus than their T cell-intact counterparts, suggesting that gammadelta T cells down-modulate murine lupus. To determine the mechanisms for this effect, we assessed the capacity of gammadelta T cell lines derived from spleens of alphabeta T cell-deficient MRL/Mp-Fas(lpr) (MRL/Fas(lpr)) mice to down-regulate anti-dsDNA production generated by CD4(+)alphabeta T helper cell lines and activated B cells from wild-type MRL/Fas(lpr) mice. One line, GD12 (gd TCR(+), CD4(-)CD8(-)), had the capacity to reduce anti-dsDNA production in a contact-dependent manner. GD12 also killed activated MRL/Fas(lpr) (H-2(k)) B cells, with less cytolysis of resting B cells than that generated by in comparison to cytokine-matched gammadelta T cell lines. In addition, GD12 also killed activated B cells derived from C57BL/6-Fas(lpr) (H-2(b)) or beta(2)-microglobulin (beta(2) M)-deficient MRL/Fas(lpr) mice, suggesting cytolysis was neither MHC- nor CD1-restricted. Killing by GD12 was inhibited by anti-TNFalpha and anti-TNF-R1, and partially blocked by anti-gd TCR Fab fragments, but not by anti-FasL, anti-TNF-R2 (p75) or concanamycin A. IL-10 produced by GD12 also partially inhibited alphabeta Th1-dependent but not alphabeta Th2-dependent autoantibody production. These findings prove that we have identtified a gammadelta T cell line that suppresses autoantibody synthesis by alphabeta T-B cell collaboration in vitro.
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PMID:Regulation of T cell-dependent autoantibody production by a gammadelta T cell line derived from lupus-prone mice. 1242 98