an-Ju Li

Role of the Fcγ receptor IIIA-V/F158 polymorphism in susceptibility to systemic lupus erythematosus and lupus nephritis: a meta-analysis.

Objective: To perform a meta-analysis to assess the risk of the Fc-gamma receptor type IIIA (FcγRIIIA)-V/F158 polymorphism for lupus nephritis and systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Methods: We surveyed studies on V/F158 and SLE and/or lupus nephritis using Medline, Blackwell, and EMBASE databases up to January 2009. Sufficient original data were available to calculate odds ratios (ORs) for SLE and/or lupus nephritis based on the American College of Rheumatology (ACR) criteria. Two investigators independently assessed the data quality and extracted the data. Results: The F158 allele presented overall consistent association evidence for SLE, SLE without nephritis, and lupus nephritis [OR 1.27, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.13–1.43; OR 1.20, 95% CI 1.05–1.37; OR 1.15, 95% CI 1.04–1.28, respectively]. FF homozygosity had a dose–response relationship for SLE with maximal OR 1.68 (95% CI 1.26–2.23). It also strongly influenced the risk of lupus nephritis and of SLE without nephritis, with maximal OR 1.30 (95% CI 1.04–1.64) and 1.43 (95% CI 1.07–1.92), respectively. Ethnic subgroup analyses revealed that the F158 allele was significantly higher in SLE patients of European and Asian descent [OR 1.30 (95% CI 1.07–1.58) and OR 1.24 (95% CI 1.04–1.48), respectively] but not in SLE patients of African descent and was only highly associated with lupus nephritis in those of Asian descent [OR 1.26 (95% CI 1.06–1.50)]. The FF genotype was significantly associated with SLE in those of European and Asian descent, with maximal OR 1.61 (95% CI 1.03–2.53) and 1.70 (95% CI 1.12–2.58), respectively, but not for lupus nephritis and SLE without nephritis of any subgroup. Conclusions: The FcγRIIIA-V/F158 polymorphism might be a common susceptibility factor for SLE and lupus nephritis and play an important role in the overall development of SLE, showing different risks within ethnic populations, which should provide novel insights into the pathogenesis of the disease.

Association of ITGAM polymorphism with systemic lupus erythematosus: a meta-analysis

Background  ITGAM is one of the major non‐human leucocyte antigen that has been implicated in the pathogenesis of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). The association of ITGAM polymorphism with SLE has been reported in several studies, but with inconclusive results.

Circular RNAs and systemic lupus erythematosus.

Circular RNAs (circRNAs) are a large class of noncoding RNAs that form covalently closed RNA circles. The discovery of circRNAs discloses a new layer of gene regulation occurred post-transcriptionally. Identification of endogenous circRNAs benefits from the advance in high-throughput RNA sequencing and remains challenging. Many studies probing into the mechanisms of circRNAs formation occurred cotranscriptionally or posttranscriptionally emerge and conclude that canonical splicing mechanism, sequence properties, and certain regulatory factors are at play in the process. Although our knowledge on functions of circRNAs is rather limited, a few circRNAs are shown to sponge miRNA and regulate gene transcription. The clearest case is one circRNA CDR1as that serves as sponge of miR-7. Researches on circRNAs in human diseases such as cancers highlight the function and physical relevance of circRNAs. Given the implication of miRNAs in the initiation and progression of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and the roles of circRNAs in sponging miRNA and gene regulation, it is appealing to speculate that circRNAs may associate with SLE and may be potential therapeutic targets for treatment of SLE. Future studies should attach more importance to the relationship between circRNAs and SLE. This review will concern identification, biogenesis, and function of circRNAs, introduce reports exploring the association of circRNAs with human diseases, and conjecture the potential roles of circRNAs in SLE.

Competitive endogenous RNA network: potential implication for systemic lupus erythematosus

ABSTRACT Introduction: Competitive endogenous RNA (ceRNA) hypothesis proposes that RNA transcripts, both coding and non-coding, crosstalk with and coregulate each other using microRNA response elements (MREs). CeRNA analysis tremendously expands functional information of coding and non-coding RNAs. Mounting evidence have shown that various types of RNAs, including pseudogenes, long non-coding RNAs, circular RNAs, and messenger RNAs, can function as ceRNAs in distinct physiological and pathophysiological states. Many validated ceRNA pairs participate in the initiation and progression of cancers, and systemic ceRNA network analyses revealing potential of ceRNAs in diagnosis, therapy, and prognosis of cancers have also been performed. Areas covered: This review concisely introduces ceRNA hypothesis and characteristics of ceRNA regulations. The major sections focus on representative examples of both protein coding and non-coding RNA transcripts acting as ceRNAs. CeRNA prediction programs and databases and implications of ceRNA network in cancers are then discussed. In the end, we surmise potential implications of ceRNA network for SLE. Expert opinion: The role of ceRNA network in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) remains undefined. We speculate that dissecting ceRNA network in SLE may help expand our comprehension of roles of transcriptome, particularly non-coding transcripts, and richen our knowledge of pathogenesis, diagnosis, and therapy of SLE.

Translation of noncoding RNAs: Focus on lncRNAs, pri-miRNAs, and circRNAs

Abstract Mammalian genome is pervasively transcribed, producing large number of noncoding RNAs (ncRNAs), including long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs), primary miRNAs (pri‐miRNA), and circular RNAs (circRNAs). The translation of these ncRNAs has long been overlooked. Increasing studies, however, based on ribosome profiling in various organisms provide important clues to unanticipated translation potential of lncRNAs. Moreover, a few functional peptides encoded by lncRNAs and pri‐miRNAs underline the significance of their translation. Recently, several novel researches also evidence the translation of endogenous circRNAs. Given the functional significance exemplified by peptides translated by some ncRNAs and their pervasive translation, it is not too far‐fetched to image that abnormal translation of ncRNAs may contribute to human diseases. Through challenging, deciphering ncRNA translation is required for comprehensive understanding of biology and medicine. In this review, we firstly present evidence concerning translation potential of lncRNAs and go on to introduce a few functional short peptides encoded by lncRNAs. Then, salient observations showing translation of pri‐miRNAs and circRNAs are described in detail. We end by discussing the impact of ncRNA translation beyond producing peptides and referring briefly to the potential role of abnormal ncRNA translation in human diseases. HighlightsMethods based on ribosome profiling highlight translation potential of lncRNAs.Peptides encoded lncRNAs and pri‐miRNAs display functional importance.Translation of endogenous circRNAs has recently been discovered.The role of abnormal translation of ncRNAs in human disorders merits further investigation.

Comprehensive long non-coding RNA expression profiling reveals their potential roles in systemic lupus erythematosus

Long non-coding RNAs can regulate gene transcription, modulate protein function, and act as competing endogenous RNA. Yet, their roles in systemic lupus erythematosus remain to be elucidated. We determined the expression profiles of lncRNAs in T cells of SLE patients and healthy controls using microarrays. Up to 1935 lncRNAs and 1977 mRNAs were differentially expressed. QRT-PCR showed downregulated uc001ykl.1 and ENST00000448942 in SLE patients. Expression of uc001ykl.1 correlated with erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) and C-reactive protein, whereas ENST00000448942 level correlated with ESR and anti-Sm antibodies. Short time-series expression miner analysis revealed some lncRNAs whose expressions might correlate with disease activity of SLE patients. Coding-non-coding gene coexpression analyses showed differential lncRNAs might operate via modulating expressions of their correlated, relevant mRNAs in SLE. Differential lncRNAs might also function through their ceRNAs. Our study established that the aberrant expression profiles of lncRNAs may play a role in SLE and thus warrant further investigation.

Association study of interleukin-19 rs2243188 polymorphism with systemic lupus erythematosus in a Chinese population

Abstract The purpose of this study was to evaluate whether a single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP), rs2243188 of interleukin-19 (IL-19), show significant evidence for association with SLE in a Chinese population. A total of 545 SLE patients and 613 healthy controls were collected in the present study. The genotyping of IL-19 rs2243188 polymorphism was detected by TaqMan allele discrimination assay on the 7300 real time polymorphism chain reaction system. The minor C allele of rs2243188, relative to the major A allele, appeared to have a significantly lower frequency in SLE patients (31.0%) as compared with controls (35.5%) (χ2 = 5.19, p = 0.023). We also discovered a statistical significance in the dominant model (CC + CA versus AA: OR = 0.755, 95% CI = 0.598–0.953, p = 0.018). However, no significant difference in genotype distribution was found between SLE patients and controls (p = 0.056). Furthermore, an increased frequency of CC genotype were also detected in lupus nephritis (LN) groups as compared with non-LN groups (p = 0.024). Besides, the individuals with CC genotype had a 2.201-fold higher risk for the susceptibility to LN than those A allele carriers (AA + CA) (p = 0.006). Unfortunately, the analyses on the relationship of IL-19 rs2243188 with several clinical manifestations of SLE failed to find any significant results. In conclusion, our observations suggested the minor C allele of SNP rs2243188 might be a protective factor for SLE in a Chinese Han population. Moreover, the subgroup analysis highlighted that IL-19 rs2243188 SNP was associated with the susceptibility to LN patients.

Association of long noncoding RNAs expression levels and their gene polymorphisms with systemic lupus erythematosus

Increasing evidence has demonstrated the association between long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) and multiple autoimmune diseases. To explore four lncRNAs (GAS5, lnc-DC, linc0597 and linc0949) expression levels and gene polymorphisms in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), a two stage design was applied. In the first stage, 85 SLE patients and 71 healthy controls were enrolled to investigate the lncRNAs expression levels. Then, 1260 SLE patients and 1231 healthy controls were included to detect the single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the differentially expressed lncRNAs identified in the first stage. Linc0597, lnc-DC and GAS5 expression levels were significantly lower in SLE patients than healthy controls (P < 0.001, P < 0.001, P = 0.003 respectively). Association of five SNPs (rs10515177, rs2070107, rs2632516, rs2877877, rs2067079) with SLE risk were analyzed. No significant association was observed between these gene polymorphisms and susceptibility to SLE (all P > 0.010), and we did not find significant association between any genotypes at five SNPs and their respective lncRNAs expression in SLE (all P > 0.010). In summary, the expression levels of linc0597, lnc-DC and GAS5 are decreased in SLE patients, but their gene polymorphisms are not associated with SLE risk, and do not influence their expression levels.

TCR-CD3ζ gene polymorphisms and expression profile in rheumatoid arthritis.

Abstract Objectives: Recent evidence has demonstrated that CD3ζ (also called CD247) play a vital role in multiple autoimmune diseases. In this study, we explored the association between CD247 gene single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and rheumatoid arthritis (RA) in a Chinese Han population. We also evaluated the CD3ζ expression profile in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) from patients with RA and health controls. Methods: Three CD247 polymorphisms (rs704853, rs1214611 and rs858554) were studied in 612 patients with RA and 848 controls in a Chinese population. Genotyping was performed using the Fluidigm 192.24 Dynamic Array™ Integrated Fluidic Circuit (IFC). For gene expression study, CD3ζ mRNA levels of 36 patients with RA and 39 healthy individuals were assessed by real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). Data were analyzed by SPSS 11.5 software. Results: A significant association between rs858554 polymorphism and RA was found under all genetic models (all p < 0.05). Moreover, we found the genotype distribution and allele frequency of rs858554 were significant associated with ACCP+ and RF+ phenotype as compare to health controls (all p < 0.05). Unfortunately, we did not detect any significant associations between rs704853, rs1214611 and RA susceptibility and autoantibody profiles (all p > 0.05). The gene expression assays showed that CD3ζ mRNA levels were downregulated in PBMCs of patients with RA when compared to healthy controls. Conclusions: Our results, the first reported for distinct Chinese populations, support a role of the CD247 gene in the susceptibility to RA. Further studies with more sample size are necessary to clarify the exact role of CD247 gene in the pathogenesis of RA.

Potential link between m 6 A modification and systemic lupus erythematosus

Highlightsm6A modification modulates pre‐mRNA splicing, mRNA stability, RNA structure, translation, and pri‐miRNA processing.m6A modification partakes in biological functions related to immune response.Evidence supports the involvement of m6A modification in various human diseases including cancers.The potential link between m6A modification and SLE is anticipated. Abstract The field of m6A modification and epitranscriptomics has recently attracted much attention. More methods allowing for precise m6A site profiling and location are developed and crucial players of m6A modification machinery are increasingly identified. Although some challenges remain, m6A modification is found to modulate almost all aspects of RNA metabolism, such as splicing, stability, structure, translation, and export. Thus, m6A modification adds a new layer of post‐transcriptional gene expression regulation, and it is implicated in T cell response to HIV infection, type I interferon production, and T cell differentiation and homeostasis. Moreover, evidence supporting its involvement in various human diseases including cancers is accumulating. Given the role of m6A modification in gene expression regulation and immune response, it invites the speculation that m6A modification may justify the pathogenesis of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and take part in the initiation and progression of SLE. In this review, we introduce the widespread existence of m6A modification and briefly discuss components of m6A modification machinery in mammals. We mainly summarize the studies reporting the mechanisms of m6A modification in gene expression regulation through modulating pre‐mRNA splicing, mRNA stability, RNA structure, translation, and pri‐miRNA processing. Biological functions related to immune response of m6A modification and the implication of m6A modification in cancers are highlighted. In the end, we surmise the potential link between m6A modification and SLE.