This Article Full Text (PDF) References Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Citation Map Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Add to Saved Citations Download to citation manager Request Permissions Request Reprints Add to My Marked Citations Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Citing Articles via Scopus Google Scholar Articles by Lauwerys, B R Articles by Houssiau, F A Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Lauwerys, B R Articles by Houssiau, F A Pubmed/NCBI databases Substance via MeSH Medline Plus Health Information Lupus Social Bookmarking                   What's this?

Serum IL-12 in systemic lupus erythematosus: absence of p70 heterodimers but presence of p40 monomers correlating with disease activity

Rheumatology Department, Université catholique de Louvain, Brussels, Belgium

J Van Snick

Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research, Brussels Branch, Brussels, Belgium

F A Houssiau

Rheumatology Department, Université catholique de Louvain, Avenue Hippocrate 10, B-1200 Bruxelles, Belgium houssiau{at}ruma.ucl.ac.be

Biologically active IL-12 is a 70 kDa heterodimeric cytokine (IL-12 p70) mainly produced by antigen-presenting cells (APC) and made of disulfide-linked a (p35) and b (p40) chains. Since the production of the p40 subunit is independently regulated from that of IL-12 p70, we compared levels of p40 and IL-12 p70 in the sera of patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Sera obtained from rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients and healthy subjects were used as controls. Serum p40 titers were significantly higher in SLE patients (mean s.e.m.: 348 40 pg/ml) compared with patients with rheumatoid arthiritis (mean s.e.m.: 116 18 pg/ml, P < 0.0001). or controls (mean s.e.m.: 0 0 pg/ml, By contrast, IL-12 p70 was not detected in any serum. In SLE patients, serum p40 levels were positively correlated with the SLEDAI (r= 0.56, P=0.02) and negatively with serum C3 levels (r=7 0.42, P=0.03). Follow-up measurements indicated that serum p40 dropped significantly after immunosuppressive therapy. Finally, size exclusion chromatography with p40 immunoprecipitates obtained from SLE sera demonstrated that p40 was present as a monomer, and not as a homodimer, nor as a p19=p40 (IL-23) heterodimer. In conclusion, serum p40 monomers (but not IL-12 p70 titers) are elevated in the sera of SLE patients commensurate with disease activity. While the relevance of these observations needs to be further investigated, our results are consistent with the APC dysfunction described in SLE.

Key Words: cytokines • IL-12 • SLE

Lupus, Vol. 11, No. 6, 384-387 (2002)
DOI: 10.1191/0961203302lu213oa


CiteULike    Connotea    Del.icio.us    Digg    Reddit    Technorati    What's this?

This article has been cited by other articles:

				E Sanchez, M. Gonzalez-Gay, J. Callejas-Rubio, N Ortego-Centeno, J. Sabio, J Jimenez-Alonso, L Mico, A Suarez, C Gutierrez, E de Ramon, et al. No evidence for genetic association of interferon regulatory factor 3 in systemic lupus erythematosus Lupus, March 1, 2009; 18(3): 230 - 234. [Abstract] [PDF]

				F Brentano, C Ospelt, J Stanczyk, R E Gay, S Gay, and D Kyburz Abundant expression of the interleukin (IL)23 subunit p19, but low levels of bioactive IL23 in the rheumatoid synovium: differential expression and Toll-like receptor-(TLR) dependent regulation of the IL23 subunits, p19 and p40, in rheumatoid arthritis Ann Rheum Dis, January 1, 2009; 68(1): 143 - 150. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				N. D. Huntington, H. Tabarias, K. Fairfax, J. Brady, Y. Hayakawa, M. A. Degli-Esposti, M. J. Smyth, D. M. Tarlinton, and S. L. Nutt NK Cell Maturation and Peripheral Homeostasis Is Associated with KLRG1 Up-Regulation J. Immunol., April 15, 2007; 178(8): 4764 - 4770. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				D. J. Stearns-Kurosawa, F. Lupu, F. B. Taylor Jr., G. Kinasewitz, and S. Kurosawa Sepsis and Pathophysiology of Anthrax in a Nonhuman Primate Model Am. J. Pathol., August 1, 2006; 169(2): 433 - 444. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				E. Sanchez, S. Morales, L. Paco, M. A. Lopez-Nevot, C. Hidalgo, J. Jimenez-Alonso, B. Torres, M. A. Gonzalez-Gay, J. L. Callejas, N. Ortego-Centeno, et al. Interleukin 12 (IL12B), interleukin 12 receptor (IL12RB1) and interleukin 23 (IL23A) gene polymorphism in systemic lupus erythematosus Rheumatology, September 1, 2005; 44(9): 1136 - 1139. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				P. Decker, H. Singh-Jasuja, S. Haager, I. Kotter, and H.-G. Rammensee Nucleosome, the Main Autoantigen in Systemic Lupus Erythematosus, Induces Direct Dendritic Cell Activation via a MyD88-Independent Pathway: Consequences on Inflammation J. Immunol., March 15, 2005; 174(6): 3326 - 3334. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]