Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Roberto Lande, Immacolata Pietraforte, Anna Mennella, Raffaella Palazzo, Francesca Romana Spinelli, Konstantinos Giannakakis, Francesca Spadaro, Mario Falchi, Valeria Riccieri, Katia Stefanantoni, Curdin Conrad, Cristiano Alessandri, Fabrizio Conti, Loredana Frasca
Summary: LL37 acts as T-cell/B-cell autoantigen in SLE and psoriatic disease by binding to self DNA, triggering IFN-I/pro-inflammatory factors production. Citrullinated-LL37 T-cell epitopes are better antigens in SLE, particularly in HLA-DRB1*1501/HLA-DRB5*0101 backgrounds. Carbamylated-LL37 in SLE tissues stimulates IFN-alpha production and B-cell maturation, serving as novel disease biomarkers.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2021)
Article
Immunology
Jessica S. Kleer, Pascal A. Rabatscher, Jessica Weiss, Joel Leonardi, Severin B. Vogt, Andrea Kieninger-Grafitsch, Carlo Chizzolini, Uyen Huynh-Do, Camillo Ribi, Marten Trendelenburg
Summary: The study found that epitope-specific anti-C1q in SLE patients is associated with specific disease manifestations, providing more diagnostic value than conventional anti-C1q.
FRONTIERS IN IMMUNOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Pharmacology & Pharmacy
Yuka Kawato, Hidehiko Fukahori, Koji Nakamura, Atsuo Kanno, Kaori Kubo, Masaki Hiramitsu, Toshihiro Matsuda, Yuichi Hanada, Takako Furukawa, Yutaka Nakajima, Fumitaka Kinugasa, Tatsuaki Morokata
Summary: The presence of CatS in SLE patients suggests its involvement in the pathogenesis, making it a potential therapeutic target for SLE treatment.
EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF PHARMACOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Dermatology
Mari Okune, Naoko Okiyama, Maki Fukuzono, Katsuhito Sasaki, Toshifumi Nomura
Summary: This case report highlights the unexpected development of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) in a patient with atopic dermatitis after treatment with Dupilumab. The refractory skin lesions in this patient were diagnosed as cutaneous lupus erythematosus, suggesting that Dupilumab may not be effective in treating SLE. Additionally, the inhibition of Th2-type immune responses by Dupilumab may accelerate the pathogenesis of Th1-related inflammatory disorders, as observed in this case.
JOURNAL OF DERMATOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Medical Laboratory Technology
Jian-Jun Huang, Tong-Jun Mao, Zi-Yu Zhang, Gang Feng
Summary: The study investigates the role of lymphocyte-bound C4d and immunoglobulins in the diagnosis and monitoring of SLE. The levels of C4d and Igs were measured in SLE patients, patients with other inflammatory diseases, and healthy individuals. The results suggest that LB-C4d/Igs could be used as reliable indicators for SLE diagnosis and activity monitoring.
CLINICAL BIOCHEMISTRY
(2023)
Review
Immunology
Swayanka Biswas, Katja Bieber, Rudolf Armin Manz
Summary: IL-10 is a cytokine that has pleiotropic effects on immune cells, including both suppressive and activating functions. It plays a dual role in Systemic lupus Erythematosus (SLE), inhibiting pro-inflammatory effector functions while also promoting extrafollicular antibody response. IL-10 is produced by B cells, myeloid cells, and certain T cell subsets, and it drives B cell responses, proliferation, class switching, and plasma cell formation.
FRONTIERS IN IMMUNOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Rheumatology
Michelle Petri, Steven D. Watts, Richard E. Higgs, Matthew D. Linnik
Summary: The study used combinatorial analysis of four molecular biomarkers to classify SLE patients into subsets, revealing differences in clinical manifestations, medication use, geography, time to severe flare, and SRI-4 response rate.
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Ting Liu, Xi Zhang, Lizhen He, Zehang Zhang, Yuhan Sun, Junmei Feng, Zhiming Lin, Tianfeng Chen
Summary: This study developed a selenium nanosystem with surface decoration of calf thymus DNA to specifically recognize and remove anti-dsDNA autoantibodies in SLE patients. The nanotherapeutics showed excellent biocompatibility and safety, and had higher clearance ratio compared to other clinical products. Furthermore, the nanotherapeutics could visualize the distribution of anti-dsDNA antibodies in kidney lesions and semi-quantify the antibody deposition.
CHEMICAL ENGINEERING JOURNAL
(2022)
Review
Rheumatology
Luis Alonso Gonzalez, Manuel Francisco Ugarte-Gil, Graciela S. Alarcon
Summary: There has been an increasing interest in discovering and validating biomarkers for lupus, but few have been successfully utilized in clinical practice. Further validation in large-scale studies and identification of better biomarkers are needed for diagnosis, monitoring, and predicting disease activity. Novel omics techniques also offer new insights in understanding the molecular basis of lupus and identifying potential therapeutic targets.
Article
Immunology
Zhenrui Shi, Yu-ping Zhang, Dan Hong, Xiaonan Qiu, Lin Zheng, Lijuan Bian, Fengqiu Hu, Liuyu Chen, Hui Xiong, Qiongqiong Yang, Shanping Jiang, Guozhen Tan, Liangchun Wang
Summary: Vascular inflammation can occur in various organs and tissues in patients with systematic lupus erythematosus (SLE), with the skin being the most common site. Anti-galectin-3 (Gal3) antibodies are identified as an important mediator of lupus cutaneous vasculopathy. The dys-regulation of vascular endothelial cells by anti-Gal3 antibodies leads to increased production of IL-10, which is dependent on NLRP3 inflammasome. Injection of anti-Gal3 antibodies in mice induces local inflammation with immune cell infiltration, which can be inhibited by blocking IL-10. Induction of anti-Gal3 antibodies in circulation not only causes skin histopathologic changes but also systemic autoimmune phenotypes and kidney damage. IL-10 overexpression is primarily associated with skin lesions in mice. The serum levels of IL-10 are comparable between SLE patients and healthy donors, but there is higher IL-10 expression in the local area of lupus skin lesions. These results suggest the important role of IL-10 in mediating anti-Gal3 antibody-induced skin vascular inflammation and the potential use of IL-10 blocking therapies in treating lupus cutaneous damage.
INTERNATIONAL IMMUNOPHARMACOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Immunology
Wangbin Ning, Da Cheng, Philip H. Howe, Chuanxiu Bian, Diane L. Kamen, Zhenwu Luo, Xiaoyu Fu, Elizabeth Ogunrinde, Liuqing Yang, Xu Wang, Quan-Zhen Li, Jim Oates, Weiru Zhang, David White, Zhuang Wan, Gary S. Gilkeson, Wei Jiang
Summary: The interaction between the microbiome and the immune response plays a crucial role in the development of normal immunity and autoimmunity. This study found that peptidoglycan (PGN) from different bacteria can have different effects on the production of autoantibodies: PGN from Bacillus subtilis drives the production of natural nonpathogenic autoantibodies, while PGN from Staphylococcus aureus induces the production of pathogenic autoantibodies.
JOURNAL OF AUTOIMMUNITY
(2022)
Review
Rheumatology
Shiliang Ma, Wanlan Jiang, Xuan Zhang, Wei Liu
Summary: Although dysregulated adaptive immune response has been considered as the main culprit for SLE, recent studies have shown that innate immunity plays a crucial role in triggering autoimmune diseases and promoting SLE development. Neutrophils, in particular, have been found to participate in SLE development through various mechanisms.
CURRENT OPINION IN RHEUMATOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Rheumatology
Yasuhiro Hasegawa, Yoshiyuki Arinuma, Takumi Muramatsu, Junichi Kondou, Yu Matsueda, Yoshiro Kanayama, Kazuma Ino, Tomoki Tanaka, Tatsuhiko Wada, Kenji Oku, Kunihiro Yamaoka
Summary: This study investigated the relationship between demyelinating syndromes similar to NMOSD and NPSLE in SLE patients, as well as the role of CSF IL-6 and autoantibodies in BBB breaches and the development of CNS lesions.
Review
Rheumatology
Fan Yang, Jin Lin, Weiqian Chen
Summary: Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a classic autoimmune disease characterized by multiple autoantibodies and immune-mediated tissue damage. While a new drug, belimumab, shows promise in improving SLE conditions, the discovery of novel therapeutic targets is urgently needed. Protein post-translational modifications (PTMs) may play key roles in regulating T-cell function and signaling pathways in SLE pathogenesis, presenting potential new targets for therapy.
Review
Immunology
Paul Curtiss, Amanda M. Walker, Benjamin F. Chong
Summary: This study reviewed patient cohorts and populations to investigate the progression of cutaneous lupus to systemic lupus. The study found variations in the progression rates between adult and pediatric groups, which were attributed to differences in patient populations, study design, diagnostic criteria, and follow-up time. Risk factors associated with the development of systemic lupus included positive anti-nuclear antibodies, hematologic abnormalities, and a higher number of lupus classification criteria at baseline.
FRONTIERS IN IMMUNOLOGY
(2022)
Editorial Material
Allergy
G. Ercolano, S. Trabanelli, C. Jandus, P. Jandus
JOURNAL OF INVESTIGATIONAL ALLERGOLOGY AND CLINICAL IMMUNOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Rheumatology
Federica M. Ucci, Serena Recalchi, Cristiana Barbati, Valeria Manganelli, Antonella Capozzi, Gloria Riitano, Giorgia Buoncuore, Tina Garofalo, Fulvia Ceccarelli, Francesca R. Spinelli, Eugenia Balbinot, Alessandra Celia, Agostina Longo, Cristiano Alessandri, Roberta Misasi, Maurizio Sorice, Fabrizio Conti
Summary: This study investigated the expression of citrullinated and carbamylated proteins in extracellular microvesicles (EMVs) from RA patients. The results showed a significant increase of EMVs and higher expression of citrullinated antigens in RA patients compared to healthy donors, suggesting the involvement of EMVs in the pathogenesis of RA.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Immacolata Pietraforte, Alessia Butera, Lucia Gaddini, Anna Mennella, Raffaella Palazzo, Doriana Campanile, Katia Stefanantoni, Valeria Riccieri, Roberto Lande, Loredana Frasca
Summary: CXCL4 is an important biomarker of systemic sclerosis (SSc) and its presence is linked to an unfavorable prognosis. CXCL4-RNA complexes can protect RNA from enzymatic degradation and circulate in SSc plasma, correlating with IFN-I and TNF-alpha levels. These findings suggest a role for CXCL4-RNA complexes in immune amplification and modulation of myeloid dendritic cell effector functions in SSc and normal immune responses.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2023)
Letter
Dermatology
Giovanni Fiorillo, Francesco Toso, Andrea Cortese, Francesco Piscazzi, Alessandra Bressan, Stefania Bramanti, Sofia Manara, Alessandra Narcisi, Antonio Costanzo, Mario Valenti
JOURNAL OF THE EUROPEAN ACADEMY OF DERMATOLOGY AND VENEREOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Dermatology
Lars Iversen, Curdin Conrad, Liv Eidsmo, Antonio Costanzo, Joanna Narbutt, Andreas Pinter, Kulli Kingo, Raquel Rivera Diaz, Frank Kolbinger, ManikPrabhu Nanna, Jennifer Annika Frueh, Piotr Jagiello
Summary: The purpose of this study was to compare the effectiveness of early intervention with secukinumab and traditional nb-UVB phototherapy in patients with new-onset moderate to severe plaque psoriasis. The results showed that secukinumab was more effective than nb-UVB, and early use of biologic treatment may be more effective in treating psoriasis.
JOURNAL OF THE EUROPEAN ACADEMY OF DERMATOLOGY AND VENEREOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Cell Biology
Daniela Peruzzu, Zaira Boussadia, Federica Fratini, Francesca Spadaro, Lucia Bertuccini, Massimo Sanchez, Maria Carollo, Paola Matarrese, Mario Falchi, Francesca Iosi, Carla Raggi, Isabella Parolini, Alessandra Care, Massimo Sargiacomo, Maria Cristina Gagliardi, Katia Fecchi
Summary: In this study, the role of cholesterol transport in the endosomal degradative-secretory system was explored using the U18666A inhibitor in a metastatic human melanoma cell line (WM266-4). The results showed that U18666A induced a shift of Cav-1 from the plasma membrane to the endolysosomal compartment, affecting the formation and release of small extracellular vesicles (sEVs). The inhibitor also altered the protein composition of sEVs and reduced their transfer capacity on target cells.
Article
Cell Biology
Ilenia Masi, Flavia Ottavi, Danila Del Rio, Valentina Caprara, Cristina Vastarelli, Sara Maria Giannitelli, Giulia Fianco, Pamela Mozetic, Marianna Buttarelli, Gabriella Ferrandina, Giovanni Scambia, Daniela Gallo, Alberto Rainer, Anna Bagnato, Francesca Spadaro, Laura Rosano
Summary: Dissemination of high-grade serous ovarian cancer (HG-SOC) in the omentum and intercalation into a mesothelial cell (MC) monolayer depends on functional alpha 5 beta 1 integrin (Int alpha 5 beta 1) activity. This study reveals a novel interactive signaling involving beta-arrestin1 (beta-arr1), the activation of the endothelin A receptor (ETAR) by endothelin-1 (ET-1), and the activation of Int alpha 5 beta 1, which promotes tumor cells towards invasive disease. The findings suggest that ETAR/beta-arr1 may regulate the functional pathway of Int alpha 5 beta 1 and could be considered in integrin-targeting programs.
CELL DEATH & DISEASE
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Jae-Seung Moon, Shady Younis, Nitya S. Ramadoss, Radhika Iyer, Khushboo Sheth, Orr Sharpe, Navin L. L. Rao, Stephane Becart, Julie A. Carman, Eddie A. James, Jane H. Buckner, Kevin D. Deane, V. Michael Holers, Susan M. Goodman, Laura T. Donlin, Mark M. Davis, William H. Robinson
Summary: This study reveals that cytotoxic CD8(+) T cells targeting ACPA are involved in synovitis and joint tissue destruction in rheumatoid arthritis (RA), contributing to the understanding of the immune mechanisms underlying RA pathogenesis.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2023)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Manuela Priolo, Erika Zara, Francesca Clementina Radio, Andrea Ciolfi, Francesca Spadaro, Emanuele Bellacchio, Cecilia Mancini, Francesca Pantaleoni, Viviana Cordeddu, Luigi Chiriatti, Marcello Niceta, Emilio Africa, Corrado Mammi, Daniela Melis, Simona Coppola, Marco Tartaglia
Summary: RAC1 is a member of the RAS superfamily and plays a critical role in various cellular processes. Mutations in RAC1 are associated with a rare neurodevelopmental disorder called MRD48. Our study identified two individuals with previously unreported RAC1 mutations and demonstrated their pathogenicity, showing a gain-of-function effect. We also reviewed the clinical features of MRD48 and compared it with another neurodevelopmental disorder caused by mutations in the related gene RAC3.
EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF HUMAN GENETICS
(2023)
Article
Hematology
Benedetta Fiordi, Valentina Salvestrini, Gabriele Gugliotta, Fausto Castagnetti, Antonio Curti, Daniel E. Speiser, Emanuela Marcenaro, Camilla Jandus, Sara Trabanelli
Summary: This study reveals the involvement of ILC2 in CML progression, regulated by the mechanisms mediated by VEGF-A and IL-18.
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Immacolata Pietraforte, Loredana Frasca
Summary: Psoriasis is a chronic inflammatory skin disease that affects 2-4% of the global population. T-cell derived factors dominate in the disease, and therapies targeting these factors have been developed. Autoreactive T-cells specific for keratins, LL37, and ADAMTSL5 have been described, and both autoreactive CD4 and CD8 T-cells exist and correlate with disease activity. This review focuses on Tregs in psoriasis, discussing their increased numbers but impaired regulatory/suppressive function, and the possibility of conversion into T-effector cells under inflammatory conditions.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2023)
Article
Engineering, Biomedical
Saeid Ansaryan, Yen-Cheng Liu, Xiaokang Li, Augoustina Maria Economou, Christiane Sigrid Eberhardt, Camilla Jandus, Hatice Altug
Summary: A microwell array incorporating a gold substrate with receptor-coated nanometric holes enables real-time monitoring of extracellular secretions from single cells. The array uses light spectrally overlapping with the device's spectrum of extraordinary optical transmission to record spectral shifts in surface plasmon resonance resulting from analyte-receptor bindings. Machine-learning-assisted cell tracking eliminates the influence of cell movements. This technology aids the study of physiological mechanisms governing protein secretion.
NATURE BIOMEDICAL ENGINEERING
(2023)
Article
Medicine, General & Internal
Mariangela Palladino, Martina Del Vecchio, Simone Farroni, Ottavio Martellucci, Antonietta Gigante, Cristiano Alessandri, Maurizio Muscaritoli
Summary: A case of new-onset adult-onset Still's disease (AOSD) following Covid-19 vaccination is reported. The patient presented with dyspnea and bilateral swellings several weeks after the first vaccination, leading to suspicion of AOSD based on symptoms and laboratory results. Considering the timing between vaccination and autoimmune disorder onset, physicians should consider adverse events and assess the risks and benefits of Covid-19 vaccination for each patient.
INTERNAL AND EMERGENCY MEDICINE
(2023)
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Cosimo Di Raimondo, Flavia Lozzi, Pier Paolo Di Domenico, Elena Campione, Luca Bianchi
Summary: Melanoma, the deadliest form of skin cancer, accounts for almost 90% of skin cancer mortality. Despite advances in immune and targeted therapies, many patients still experience disease progression. Skin metastases, a common occurrence in melanoma, can be treated through various methods including surgery, injections, and systemic therapies. Further research is needed to understand the underlying mechanisms and differences in behavior and prognosis among melanoma patients with skin metastases.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2023)
Article
Rheumatology
R. Scrivo, C. Castellani, S. Mancuso, G. Sciarra, F. Giardina, G. Bevignani, F. Ceccarelli, F. R. Spinelli, C. Alessandri, M. Di Franco, V. Riccieri, R. Priori, F. Conti
Summary: This study evaluated the effectiveness of non-medical switching between the adalimumab (ADA) bio-originator and the SB5 biosimilar, as well as between two different ADA biosimilars, in patients with inflammatory chronic arthritis. The results showed a significant reduction in patients in remission/low disease activity and an increased risk of moderate-high disease activity after the switch. However, there were no differences in disease activity scores or patient-reported outcomes between the different treatment groups.
CLINICAL AND EXPERIMENTAL RHEUMATOLOGY
(2023)