Prevalence of T cell receptor ζchain deficiency in systemic lupus erythematosus

• Published in: Lupus 2003-01, Vol.12 (1), p.46-51
• Main Authors: Nambiar, M P, Mitchell, J P, Ceruti, R P, Malloy, M A, Tsokos, G C
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adult; Aged; Female; Humans; Lupus Erythematosus, Systemic - epidemiology; Lupus Erythematosus, Systemic - immunology; Lupus Erythematosus, Systemic - therapy; Male; Membrane Proteins - deficiency; Middle Aged; Prevalence; Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell - deficiency; Severity of Illness Index; Signal Transduction - immunology; T-Lymphocytes - immunology; T-Lymphocytes - metabolism
• ISSN: 0961-2033; 1477-0962
• DOI: 10.1191/0961203303lu281oa

T cells from patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) display antigen receptor-mediated signaling aberrations associated with defective T cell receptor (TCR) z chain expression. We determined the prevalence of TCR z chain deficiency in SLE from a large cohort of unselected racially diverse patients with different levels of clinical disease activity as determined by SLE Disease Activity Index (SLEDAI). Our data show that the occurrence of TCR z chain deficiency is 78% in SLE patients. There was no relationship between the deficiency of TCR z chain and the SLEDAI scores or therapy. TCR z chain deficiency was also not associated with age, race or gender and persisted over a 3 year follow-up period. Thus, there is a high prevalence of TCR z chain deficiency in SLE patients that is independent of disease activity, and persists over time indicating an important role for TCR z chain deficiency in SLE pathogenesis.