Association of long non-coding RNA GAS5 and miR-21 levels in CD4+ T cells with clinical features of systemic lupus erythematosus

The present study aimed to assess the expression of growth arrest-specific 5 (GAS5) and microRNA (miR)-21 in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), and attempted to explore their association with clinical features. CD4(+) T cells were isolated from peripheral blood of healthy donors and SLE patients by magnetic-activated cell sorting. GAS5 and miR-21 expression levels in cluster of differentiation (CD)4(+) T cells were measured by reverse-transcription quantitative polymerase chain reaction. The results revealed that GAS5 and miR-21 levels were significantly elevated in CD4(+) T cells of patients with SLE compared with those in control subjects (P<0.05). Regarding clinical features, SLE patients with ulceration had higher GAS5 expression levels in CD4(+) T cells than those without ulceration (P<0.05), and the expression of miR-21 was significantly higher in CD4(+) T cells of SLE patients with low levels of complement component 3 (C3) than in those with normal levels of complement C3 (P< 0.05). In conclusion, GAS5 and miR-21 in CD4(+) T cells may serve as potential biomarkers for the diagnosis and monitoring of the progression of SLE.