Transcript abundance patterns in Kawasaki disease patients with IVIG resistance

• Published in: Human immunology 2010-06, Vol.71 (9), p.865-873
• Main Authors: Fury, Wen, Tremoulet, Adriana H., Watson, Virginia E., Best, Brookie A., Shimizu, Chisato, Hamilton, Jennifer, Kanegaye, John T., Wei, Yi, Kao, Chiayi, Mellis, Scott, Lin, Calvin, Burns, Jane C.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• ISSN: 0198-8859; 1879-1166
• DOI: 10.1016/j.humimm.2010.06.008

Intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG)-resistant Kawasaki disease (KD) patients comprise at least 20% of treated patients and are at higher risk of coronary artery abnormalities. If identified early in the course of the disease, such patients may benefit from additional anti-inflammatory therapy. The aim of this study was to compare the transcript abundance between IVIG-resistant and – responsive KD patients to identify biomarkers that might differentiate between these two groups and to generate new targets for therapies in IVIG-resistant KD patients. We compared the transcript abundance profiles of whole blood RNA on Agilent arrays from acute and convalescent KD subjects and age-similar, healthy controls. KD subjects were stratified as IVIG-resistant or – responsive based on response to initial IVIG therapy. Transcript abundance was higher for IL-1 pathway genes (IL-1 receptor, interleukin receptor associated kinase, p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase), and MMP-8 . These findings point to candidate biomarkers that may predict IVIG-resistance in acute KD patients. The results also underscore the importance of the IL-1 pathway as a mediator of inflammation in KD and suggest that IL-1 or its receptor may be reasonable targets for therapy, particularly for IVIG-resistant patients.