Clinical significance of ICOS and ICOSL expression in patients with rheumatoid arthritis / 中国免疫学杂志

ABSTRACT

Objective:To investigate the expression of inducible costimulatory ( ICOS) and inducible costimulatory ligand ( ICOSL) on peripheral blood mononuclear cells ( PBMCs ) and their clinical relationship with rheumatoid arthritis ( RA ) patients.Methods:Peripheral blood samples were collected from 85 RA patients and 50 HC in this study.Expression of ICOS and ICOSL on PBMC from the subjects were detected by flow cytometry and real-time polymerase chain reaction( RT-PCR).The alteration of ICOS and ICOSL were observed after hormone therapy in 15 patients with RA and the relationship between their expression level and patients′clinical manifestations were analysed.Results:The ICOS and ICOSL mRNA level of RA patients′PBMCs were significantly higher than that in HC.The expression level of ICOS on CD4+T cells was higher than than that in HC[(7.08±4.72)% vs (3.01+1.39)%,P<0.0001].The expression of ICOSL on monocytes[(5.77±3.45)%vs (3.64±1.43)%,P<0.05] and B cells [(5.78± 4.52)%vs (3.97±1.63)%,P<0.05] were significantly elevated in RA patients.In RA patients with active disease,however,ICOSL expression on monocytes and B cells were increased as compared with those in inactive RA patients [ ( 5.45 ±3.50 )% vs ( 4.04 ± 1.55)%,P=0.036],[(6.59 ±5.74)%vs (5.63±4.30)%,P=0.016].Furthermore,after receiving immunosuppressive therapy, the expressions of ICOS and ICOSL were notably reduced as compared with pre-therapy levels on PBMCs from patients [ ( 5.45 ±3.50)%vs (4.04±1.55)%,P=0.036],[(6.59 ±5.74)%vs (5.63±4.30)%,P=0.016].Conclusion:The high levels of ICOS and ICOSL expression were closely correlated with the degree of disease and therapeutic response,suggesting that ICOS/ICOSL pathway may play a critical role in pathogenesis of RA.