| Title | The B-cell activation pathway in human systemic lupus erythematosus: imbalanced in vitro production of lymphokines and association with serum analytical findings. | | Author(s) | Gaspar ML, Alvarez-Mon M, Gutierrez C | | Institution | Department of Immunology, Universidad Autónoma, Madrid, Spain. | | Source | J Clin Immunol 1988 Jul; 8(4):266-74. | | MeSH | Adolescent
Adult
Aged
Antibodies, Antinuclear
B-Lymphocytes
Female
Humans
Immunoglobulin G
Interleukin-2
Interleukin-4
Interleukins
Lupus Erythematosus, Systemic
Lymphocyte Activation
Lymphokines
Middle Aged
| | Abstract | Recent knowledge of B-lymphocyte physiology has clarified the role of T cell-derived lymphokines in clonal proliferation and differentiation of B-cell responses. Lymphokine production was analyzed in 19 systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) patients and sex- and age-matched controls in relation to clinical activity and steroid treatment. When in vitro production of interleukin-2 (IL-2) and B-cell growth factor (BCGF) was tested, both activities were found to be diminished in the group of patients (P less than 0.01), while B-cell differentiation factor (BCDF) activity was higher in this group with respect to normal controls (P less than 0.01). Interestingly enough, this in vitro BCDF synthesis was positively correlated with clinical activity regardless of low-dose steroid treatment. A correlation was also found between BCDF production and the levels of IgG (r = 0.64, P less than 0.01), anti-DNA antibodies (r = 0.52, P less than 0.05), and the IgG/IgM ratio (r = 0.7, P less than 0.01) in serum. Implications of these abnormal T-lymphocyte functions in SLE with respect to in vivo B-cell function are discussed. | | Language | eng | | Pub Type(s) | Journal Article
Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
| | PubMed ID | 3261733 |
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