TY  - JOUR
A1  - Bittner, Stefan
A1  - Bobak, Nicole
A1  - Feuchtenberger, Martin
A1  - Herrmann, Alexander M
A1  - Göbel, Kerstin
A1  - Kinne, Raimund W
A1  - Hansen, Anker J
A1  - Budde, Thomas
A1  - Kleinschnitz, Christoph
A1  - Frey, Oliver
A1  - Tony, Hans-Peter
A1  - Wiendl, Heinz
A1  - Meuth, Sven G
T1  - Expression of K\(_2\)\(_P\)5.1 potassium channels on CD4\(^+\)T lymphocytes correlates with disease activity in rheumatoid arthritis patients
T2  - Arthritis Research & Therapy
N2  - Introduction

CD4+ T cells express K2P5.1 (TWIK-related acid-sensitive potassium channel 2 (TASK2); KCNK5), a member of the two-pore domain potassium channel family, which has been shown to influence T cell effector functions. Recently, it was shown that K2P5.1 is upregulated upon (autoimmune) T cell stimulation. The aim of this study was to correlate expression levels of K2P5.1 on T cells from patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) to disease activity in these patients.

Methods

Expression levels of K2P5.1 were measured by RT-PCR in the peripheral blood of 58 patients with RA and correlated with disease activity parameters (C-reactive protein levels, erythrocyte sedimentation rates, disease activity score (DAS28) scores). Twenty patients undergoing therapy change were followed-up for six months. Additionally, synovial fluid and synovial biopsies were investigated for T lymphocytes expressing K2P5.1.

Results

K2P5.1 expression levels in CD4+ T cells show a strong correlation to DAS28 scores in RA patients. Similar correlations were found for serological inflammatory parameters (erythrocyte sedimentation rate, C-reactive protein). In addition, K2P5.1 expression levels of synovial fluid-derived T cells are higher compared to peripheral blood T cells. Prospective data in individual patients show a parallel behaviour of K2P5.1 expression to disease activity parameters during a longitudinal follow-up for six months.

Conclusions

Disease activity in RA patients correlates strongly with K2P5.1 expression levels in CD4+ T lymphocytes in the peripheral blood in cross-sectional as well as in longitudinal observations. Further studies are needed to investigate the exact pathophysiological mechanisms and to evaluate the possible use of K2P5.1 as a potential biomarker for disease activity and differential diagnosis.
KW  - neurology
Y1  - 2011
UR  - https://opus.bibliothek.uni-wuerzburg.de/frontdoor/index/index/docId/13933
UR  - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-139334
VL  - 13
IS  - R21
ER  -