2. Academic Validation
  3. SLAMF7-expressing B cells as crucial mediators in the pathogenesis of rheumatoid arthritis-interstitial lung disease

SLAMF7-expressing B cells as crucial mediators in the pathogenesis of rheumatoid arthritis-interstitial lung disease

  • Int Immunopharmacol. 2025 Apr 16:152:114392. doi: 10.1016/j.intimp.2025.114392.
Keke Xie 1,  Qincheng Che 2,  Jie Chen 1,  Hongxing Wang 3,  Bingbing Ren 1,  Xiaorong Chen 4,  Fang Wang 5,  Xiao Wang 5,  Jianing Wang 6,  Qiang Shu 7
Affiliations

Affiliations

  • 1 Qilu Hospital, Cheeloo College of Medicine, Shandong University, Department of Rheumatology, Jinan, China; Shandong Key Laboratory of Medicine and Prevention Integration in Rheumatism and Immunity Disease, Jinan,China; Laboratory of Basic Medical Science, Qilu Hospital of Shandong University, Jinan, Shandong, China.
  • 2 Department of Hematology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Fujian Medical University,Fujian, China.
  • 3 Shandong Key Laboratory of Medicine and Prevention Integration in Rheumatism and Immunity Disease, Jinan,China; Qilu Hospital, Cheeloo College of Medicine, Shandong University, Department of Clinical Laboratory, Jinan, China; Shandong Engineering Research Center of Biomarker and Artificial Intelligence Application, Jinan, China.
  • 4 Laboratory of Basic Medical Science, Qilu Hospital of Shandong University, Jinan, Shandong, China.
  • 5 Qilu Hospital, Cheeloo College of Medicine, Shandong University, Department of Rheumatology, Jinan, China; Shandong Key Laboratory of Medicine and Prevention Integration in Rheumatism and Immunity Disease, Jinan,China; Shandong Provincial Key Laboratory of Integrated Diagnosis, Prevention, and Treatment of Rheumatic Diseases, Jinan, China.
  • 6 Shandong Provincial Key Laboratory of Infection & Immunology, Department of Immunology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Cheeloo College of Medicine, Shandong University, Jinan, China.
  • 7 Qilu Hospital, Cheeloo College of Medicine, Shandong University, Department of Rheumatology, Jinan, China; Shandong Key Laboratory of Medicine and Prevention Integration in Rheumatism and Immunity Disease, Jinan,China; Shandong Provincial Key Laboratory of Integrated Diagnosis, Prevention, and Treatment of Rheumatic Diseases, Jinan, China. Electronic address: shuqiang@sdu.edu.cn.
PMID: 40056511 DOI: 10.1016/j.intimp.2025.114392
Abstract

The regulatory factors involved in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) complicated with interstitial lung disease (ILD) (RA-ILD) remain unknown. Due to the cross-sectional nature of our study, our aim was to explore the role of the signalling lymphocytic activation molecule family (SLAMF) in RA-ILD by analysing synovial and lung samples from the Gene Expression Omnibus, animal models, and clinical samples.We collected peripheral blood mononuclear cells from patients for flow cytometry analysis of B cells, SLAMF1 protein, and SLAMF7 protein. The dataset analysis indicated a marked upregulation of SLAMF1 and SLAMF7 expression in RA synovial tissues and RA-ILD lung tissues. The same expression trend was further validated in a collagen-induced arthritis-ILD model. This suggests that B cells expressing SLAMF1 and SLAMF7 may contribute significantly to the development of lung fibrosis. Flow cytometry analysis demonstrated that SLAMF7 expression in B cells was substantially higher in RA-ILD patients than in those with RA alone. Similarly, SLAMF7 proteins were highly expressed in the plasma of patients with RA-ILD. These results suggest that SLAMF7 could be pivotal in the development and progression of RA-ILD.

Keywords

B cells; Biomarker; Interstitial lung disease(ILD); Rheumatoid arthritis(RA); Signalling lymphocytic activation molecule family 7(SLAMF7).

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