PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - Nan Hu
AU  - Xiangning Qiu
AU  - Yongqi Luo
AU  - Jun Yuan
AU  - Yaping Li
AU  - Wenzhi Lei
AU  - Guiying Zhang
AU  - Ying Zhou
AU  - Yuwen Su
AU  - Qianjin Lu
TI  - Abnormal histone modification patterns in lupus CD4+ T cells.
DP  - 2008 May 01
TA  - The Journal of Rheumatology
PG  - 804--810
VI  - 35
IP  - 5
4099  - http://www.jrheum.org/content/35/5/804.short
4100  - http://www.jrheum.org/content/35/5/804.full
SO  - J Rheumatol2008 May 01; 35
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To investigate alterations in histone modifications in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). METHODS: Global histone H3/H4 acetylation and H3K4/H3K9 methylation in CD4+ T cells from 20 SLE patients and 10 healthy control subjects were assayed using the EpiQuik global histone H3/H4 acetylation and H3K4/H3K9 methylation assay kits. mRNA levels of 12 members of 3 classes of chromatin modifier genes were measured by real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction. RESULTS: Global histone H3 and H4 hypoacetylation was observed in active lupus CD4+ T cells compared with controls (p = 0.002 and p = 0.009, respectively). The degree of histone H3 acetylation correlated negatively with increased disease activity in lupus patients as measured by SLEDAI (r = -0.889, p = 0.044). We found global histone H3K9 hypomethylation in both active and inactive lupus CD4+ T cells, compared with controls (p = 0.001, p = 0.003, respectively). However, global levels of H3K4 methylation were not different between patients and controls. SIRT1 mRNA levels were significantly increased in active lupus CD4+ T cells compared with controls (p < 0.001), while mRNA levels of CREBBP, P300, HDAC2, HDAC7, SUV39H2, and EZH2 were significantly downregulated in patients with active lupus (p < 0.001, p < 0.001, p = 0.01, p < 0.001, p = 0.003, p = 0.001, respectively). CONCLUSION: Histone modifications appear abnormal in CD4+ T cells in SLE.