Dopamine receptor DR2 expression in B cells is negatively correlated with disease activity in rheumatoid arthritis patients

• Published in: Immunobiology (1979) 2015-03, Vol.220 (3), p.323-330
• Main Authors: Wei, L, Zhang, C, Chen, H.Y, Zhang, Z.J, Ji, Z.F, Yue, T, Dai, X.M, Zhu, Q, Ma, L.L, He, D.Y, Jiang, L.D
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Advanced Basic Science; Allergy and Immunology; Antirheumatic Agents - therapeutic use; Arthritis, Rheumatoid - drug therapy; Arthritis, Rheumatoid - immunology; Arthritis, Rheumatoid - pathology; B cells; B-Lymphocytes - metabolism; Disease activity; Dopamine receptor; Female; Flow Cytometry; Gene Expression; Humans; Male; Middle Aged; Neuro-immune interaction; Osteoarthritis - immunology; Osteoarthritis - pathology; Receptors, Dopamine D1 - biosynthesis; Receptors, Dopamine D2 - biosynthesis; Receptors, Dopamine D3 - biosynthesis; Receptors, Dopamine D4 - biosynthesis; Receptors, Dopamine D5 - biosynthesis; Rheumatoid arthritis
• ISSN: 0171-2985; 1878-3279
• DOI: 10.1016/j.imbio.2014.10.016

Abstract Objective Dopamine receptor (DR) signaling is involved in the pathogenesis of autoimmune diseases. We aimed to measure the expression levels of DR1-5 on B cells from patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and to analyze the relationship between DRs and clinical manifestations, inflammatory biomarkers, functional status and disease activity. Methods A total of 29 patients with RA, 12 healthy donors and 12 patients with osteoarthritis (OA) were recruited in this study. Flow cytometry was used to measure the levels of DR1-5 expressed on B cells. The relationships between B cell DR expressions and clinical features in RA patients were analyzed using the Spearman correlation test. Results The expression levels of B cell DR1-5 in both the RA and OA groups were lower than those in healthy controls. After 3 months of medication, all five receptors were elevated in RA patients, with DR2 and DR3 being significantly increased from the baseline. DR2 expression on B cells was negatively correlated with inflammatory biomarkers and disease activity. Conclusion RA patients had lower expression level of DR2 on B cells compared to the healthy controls, and the level of DR2 negatively correlated with the disease activity. DR2 and DR3 might be novel predictors of patient responses to disease modifying antirheumatic drug therapy.