Differential Antigen-presenting B Cell Phenotypes from Synovial Microenvironment of Patients with Rheumatoid and Psoriatic Arthritis

J Rheumatol. 2015 Oct;42(10):1825-34. doi: 10.3899/jrheum.141577. Epub 2015 Jul 15.

Abstract

Objective: To study the qualitative and quantitative phenotypic changes that occur in molecules involved in antigen presentation and costimulation in synovial B cells from rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and psoriatic arthritis (PsA).

Methods: The presence of HLA-DR, CD86, and CD40 in CD20+ cells was studied in RA synovium biopsies using immunohistochemistry and immunofluorescence. Expression was assessed by flow cytometry of the Class II molecules CD40, CD86, CD23, and CD27 on B cells from the synovial fluid (SF), with respect to peripheral blood, from 13 patients with RA and 15 patients with PsA. Expression of interferon-induced protein with tetratricopeptide repeats 4 (IFIT4) in immune-selected CD20+ cells from patients with RA was assessed by quantitative realtime PCR.

Results: Infiltrating synovial RA, B cells expressed HLA-DR, CD40, and CD86. Increased expression of CD86, HLA-DR, and HLA-DQ in B cells from SF was found in patients with RA and PsA. HLA-DP was also elevated in rheumatoid SF B cells; conversely, a significantly lower expression was observed in SF from patients with PsA. CD40 expression was increased in SF B cells from PsA, but not in patients with RA. Interestingly, CD20 surface expression level was significantly lower in SF B cells (CD19+, CD138-) from RA, but not in patients with PsA. CD27 upregulation and CD23 downregulation were observed in synovial B cells in both pathologies. Finally, a 4-fold increase in IFIT4 mRNA content was shown in B cells from SF in patients with RA.

Conclusion: Synovial B cells from patients with RA and patients with PsA express different antigen-presenting cell phenotypes, suggesting that this cell type plays a dissimilar role in the pathogenesis of each disease.

Keywords: ANTIGEN PRESENTATION; B LYMPHOCYTES; PSORIATIC ARTHRITIS; RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS.

Publication types

  • Comparative Study

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Aged
  • Arthritis, Psoriatic / blood
  • Arthritis, Psoriatic / immunology*
  • Arthritis, Psoriatic / physiopathology
  • Arthritis, Rheumatoid / blood
  • Arthritis, Rheumatoid / immunology*
  • Arthritis, Rheumatoid / physiopathology
  • B-Lymphocytes / immunology
  • B-Lymphocytes / metabolism*
  • Biomarkers / metabolism
  • Cells, Cultured
  • Cohort Studies
  • Female
  • Flow Cytometry
  • Humans
  • Immunophenotyping
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Phenotype
  • Prognosis
  • Receptors, IgE / immunology
  • Receptors, IgE / metabolism*
  • Risk Assessment
  • Severity of Illness Index
  • Statistics, Nonparametric
  • Synovial Membrane / immunology*
  • Tumor Necrosis Factor Receptor Superfamily, Member 7 / immunology
  • Tumor Necrosis Factor Receptor Superfamily, Member 7 / metabolism*
  • Young Adult

Substances

  • Biomarkers
  • Receptors, IgE
  • Tumor Necrosis Factor Receptor Superfamily, Member 7