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Elevated levels of TL1A are associated with disease activity in patients with systemic sclerosis

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Abstract

TL1A is a member of the TNF superfamily. It performs significantly in the pathogenesis of rheumatic and autoimmune diseases partly through regulating the Th17 pathway. The clinical implication of circulating TL1A in patients with systemic sclerosis (SSc) remains unclear, and correlation between TL1A and Th17-related cytokines in the pathogenesis of SSc needs to be discussed. We measured serum levels of TL1A and Th17-related cytokines by ELISA in 47 patients with SSc, 56 patients with SLE, and 53 healthy subjects, and investigated association of these cytokines with clinical manifestations and laboratory variables. TL1A in relation to Th17-related cytokines were examined. In addition, the transcript level of TL1A in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) was determined by real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (real-time PCR). Serum TL1A levels were higher in patients with SSc than in healthy controls (P = 0.001), but were lower compared with SLE patients (P = 0.004). Diffuse cutaneous SSc or limited cutaneous SSc patients reported elevated expression of TL1A than those in healthy controls (P = 0.002, P = 0.007). Patients with active disease showed significantly higher expression of TL1A when compared with less active disease (P = 0.014). SSc patients with arthritis, elevated IgG titer, ESR >30 mm/h, and CRP >5 mg/l displayed elevated expression of TL1A, respectively. Serum levels of IL-17 and IL-21 were increased in SSc patients compared with healthy controls and positively related to TL1A levels (r s = 0.373, P = 0.010; r s = 0.370, P = 0.011, respectively). Moreover, TL1A mRNA expression in PBMCs was significantly higher in patients with SSc compared with healthy controls (P < 0.001). TL1A may play a role in the development of SSc.

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported by grants from the Specialized Research Fund for the Doctoral Program of Higher Education of China (20120181110009), Sichuan provincial health, and Family Planning Commission (16PJ284).

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Author notes

  1. Wangdong Xu and Linchong Su contributed equally to this work and should be considered co-first authors.

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Rheumatology and Immunology, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, China

    Wangdong Xu, Linchong Su, Pingying Qing, Ying Wang, Yan Liang, Yi Zhao & Yi Liu

  2. Department of Rheumatology and Immunology, Affiliated Minda Hospital of Hubei Institute for Nationalities, Enshi, Hubei, China

    Linchong Su

  3. Center for Stem Cell Research and Application, Institute of Blood Transfusion, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Chengdu, Sichuan, China

    Qiongxiu Zhou & Feng Ma

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  1. Wangdong Xu
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Correspondence to Feng Ma or Yi Liu.

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The corresponding protocol was approved by the Ethics of Research Committee of the West China Hospital Sichuan University. Informed and written consent was obtained from all participating subjects, which was in accordance with the Declaration of Helsinki.

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Xu, W., Su, L., Qing, P. et al. Elevated levels of TL1A are associated with disease activity in patients with systemic sclerosis. Clin Rheumatol 36, 1317–1324 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10067-017-3612-y

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10067-017-3612-y

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