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GITRL is associated with increased autoantibody production in patients with rheumatoid arthritis

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Abstract

The study aimed to determine the serum level of glucocorticoid-induced tumor necrosis factor receptor family-related protein ligand (GITRL) in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and investigate its clinical significance. GITRL levels were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) in 88 RA patients, 20 osteoarthritis (OA) patients, and 20 healthy controls (HCs). Anti-cyclic citrullinated peptide (anti-CCP) antibodies and rheumatoid factor immunoglobulin G (RF-IgG) were also tested by ELISA. RF-IgM, anti-keratin antibody (AKA), and anti-perinuclear factor (APF) antibodies and the erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), C-reactive protein (CRP), and immunoglobulins were measured by standard laboratory techniques. The disease activity was evaluated by the 28-joint count Disease Activity Score (DAS28). GITRL concentrations were significantly elevated in both serum and synovial fluid (SF) of RA patients. GITRL levels in RA sera were significantly higher than those in matched SFs. Positive correlations were found between serum GITRL levels and inflammation parameters or autoantibody production. GITRL levels are significantly elevated in RA serum and SF and are positively correlated with autoantibody production in RA, suggesting a role of GITRL in the development of RA.

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported by grants from Ministry of Science and Technology of China (2014BAI07B01, 2014AA020527), National Natural Science Foundation of China (81471601), Beijing Natural Science Foundation (7152150), Beijing Municipal Science & Technology Commission (Z141107002514064), and Research and Development Fund of Peking University People’s Hospital (RDB2014–03, RDB2014–04).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Rheumatology & Immunology, Beijing Key Laboratory for Rheumatism and Immune Diagnosis (BZ0135), Peking University People’s Hospital, 11 Xizhimen South Street, Beijing, 100044, China

    Linbo Li, Wen Wen, Rulin Jia, Yuhui Li, Xu Liu, Xiaolin Sun & Zhanguo Li

  2. Center of Clinical Immunology, Peking University, Beijing, 100044, China

    Linbo Li, Wen Wen, Rulin Jia, Yuhui Li, Xu Liu, Xiaolin Sun & Zhanguo Li

  3. Department of Nephrology, Beijing Tsinghua Changgung Hospital, Medical Center, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 102218, China

    Wen Wen

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  1. Linbo Li
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Correspondence to Xiaolin Sun or Zhanguo Li.

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Li, L., Wen, W., Jia, R. et al. GITRL is associated with increased autoantibody production in patients with rheumatoid arthritis. Clin Rheumatol 35, 2195–2202 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10067-016-3280-3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10067-016-3280-3

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