BAFF and APRIL expression as an autoimmune signature of membranous nephropathy.

Seung Seok Han,Hyung Ah Jo,Yon Su Kim,Chun Soo Lim,Minkyoung Park,Jung Pyo Lee,Hajeong Lee,Yun Jung Oh,Seung Hee Yang,Dong Ki Kim,Joo Young Kim,Sang-Ho Lee,Kwon Wook Joo

doi:10.18632/oncotarget.23232

Seung Seok Han, Hyung Ah Jo + Show 11 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.18632/oncotarget.23232

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Journal: Oncotarget	Publication Date: Dec 14, 2017
Citations: 6	License type: cc-by

Affiliation: Seoul National University, Kyung Hee University

Abstract

BackgroundBased on the fact that B-cell activating factor (BAFF) and a proliferation-inducing ligand (APRIL) have a regulatory role in B cell biology, excessive levels of these cytokines can promote autoimmune pathogenesis. However, the expression and implication remain unresolved in cases of membranous nephropathy (MN).ResultsThe plasma BAFF levels of the primary MN patients were higher than those of healthy controls but lower than those of secondary MN patients, whereas the APRIL levels were similar between the MN patients and healthy controls. The BAFF levels were higher in relapse cases, whereas the APRIL levels were higher in the patients who did not experience remission compared with the counterpart patients. The ectopic expression of BAFF and APRIL was observed in the glomeruli or circulating B cells of MN patients, and this high expression trend was similar to that of lupus patients.ConclusionsExpression profile of BAFF and APRIL in MN is similar to that of other autoimmune disease, which affects the kidney outcomes.MethodsPlasma BAFF and APRIL levels were measured upon kidney biopsy in patients with primary (n = 89) and secondary MN (n = 13), and the results were compared with the levels in healthy controls (n = 111). The kidney outcomes (e.g., remission and relapse) were traced for the median of 3 years. Aberrant expression of the cytokines was evaluated in the kidney and circulating B cells using immunohistochemistry and flow cytometry analyses, respectively.

Highlights

Based on the fact that B-cell activating factor (BAFF) and a proliferation-inducing ligand (APRIL) have a regulatory role in B cell biology, excessive levels of these cytokines can promote autoimmune pathogenesis
The plasma BAFF levels of the primary membranous nephropathy (MN) patients were higher than those of healthy controls but lower than those of secondary MN patients, whereas the APRIL levels were similar between the MN patients and healthy controls
The BAFF levels were higher in relapse cases, whereas the APRIL levels were higher in the patients who did not experience remission compared with the counterpart patients

Summary

Introduction

Based on the fact that B-cell activating factor (BAFF) and a proliferation-inducing ligand (APRIL) have a regulatory role in B cell biology, excessive levels of these cytokines can promote autoimmune pathogenesis. Based on the experimental clues, both of these cytokines release signals to promote the differentiation and longevity of B cells, certain immune modulating aspects may be different between the two [6] In addition to these fundamental roles, the cytokines are involved in galvanizing B cells to become self-reactive [7,8,9], and elevated blood or tissue levels of BAFF and APRIL are frequently observed in various autoimmune diseases [10, 11] and other B cell disorders [12,13,14,15]. We assessed aberrant expressive features of cytokines, which have been observed in other autoimmune diseases

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Conclusion