Increased level of soluble HLA class I antigens in systemic lupus erythematosus: correlation with anti-DNA antibodies and leukopenia
Author
Summary, in English
The concentration of soluble HLA class I (sHLA-I) was measured by ELISA in serum samples from 30 well-characterised SLE patients at high and low disease activity states and from 100 healthy controls. HLA-A allotypes in the patients were analysed by a PCR-based typing technique. A higher level of sHLA-I was found in SLE patient sera both at high and low disease activity than in controls (P< 0.001). The sHLA-I level was further increased during active disease (P< 0.01). Concentrations of sHLA-I correlated with anti-dsDNA antibodies at high disease activity, but not with disease activity as analysed by a modified SLEDAI. Numbers of leukocytes and lymphocytes, as well as levels of C1q and C3 correlated inversely with sHLA-I concentration. In five serial samples from ten patients the sHLA-I level co-varied with disease activity. Presence of HLA allotype A9 was associated with higher sHLA-I levels in both patients (P< 0.001) and controls (P< 0.001). We conclude that the increased sHLA-I concentration in SLE patients was related to several laboratory parameters reflecting disease activity suggesting that sHLA-I molecules are connected with the disease process. Increased sHLA-I level due to HLA-A allotype was not a disease susceptibility factor for SLE.
Publishing year
2001
Language
English
Pages
471-478
Publication/Series
Journal of Autoimmunity
Volume
16
Issue
4
Document type
Journal article
Publisher
Elsevier
Topic
- Rheumatology and Autoimmunity
Keywords
- soluble HLA class I
- systemic lupus erythematosus
- complement
- autoantibodies
- HLA allotype
Status
Published
ISBN/ISSN/Other
- ISSN: 0896-8411