Abnormal expression of chemokine receptors on T-cells from patients with systemic lupus erythematosus

The expression of chemokine receptors on T-cells and chemokine levels in the blood was studied in 23 patients with SLE (ACR criteria), seven patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and in 15 healthy controls using flow cytometry, RT-PCR and ELISA. The cell surface expression of the chemokine receptors CXCR5 and CCR6 was decreased in SLE patients compared with controls (P = 0.051 and P = 0.002, respectively). The decrease of CXCR5 was confined to SLE patients with inactive disease (SLEDAI < 6) compared with active disease (SLEDAI >= 6) and controls. CXCR2 and CCR1 were increased in patients with active SLE compared with patients with inactive disease (P = 0.001 and P = 0.01, respectively) and with controls ( P = 0.02 and P = 0.053, respectively). The levels of the chemokines MIP-1 beta MCP-1, SDF-1 alpha, IP-10 and RANTES were significantly elevated in SLE patients compared with controls. Patients with renal involvement had increased surface expression of CXCR3 and CCR3 (P = 0.04 in both) and a lower level of soluble IP-10 compared with patients without renal disease (P = 0.025) and compared with controls (P = 0.001). The ratio between CCR5 and CCR3 was significantly increased in RA patients compared with SLE patients and controls supporting a Th1 overweight in RA. In conclusion, patients with SLE showed abnormal T-cell expression of several chemokine receptors and levels of soluble chemokines in their plasma/ serum.