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Zhu R, Kennicott K, Liang Y. Benzo[a]pyrene Exposure Reduces Cell-Type Diversity and Stimulates Sex-Biased Damage Pathways in End Organs of Lupus-Prone Mice. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:6163. [PMID: 37047136 PMCID: PMC10093912 DOI: 10.3390/ijms24076163] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/22/2023] [Revised: 03/10/2023] [Accepted: 03/20/2023] [Indexed: 04/14/2023] Open
Abstract
Studies indicate that genetic factors only account for approximately thirty percent of all autoimmune diseases, while the rest of autoimmune pathogenesis is attributed to environmental factors including toxic chemicals. To understand if and how environmental pollutants trigger autoimmunity, we investigated the effect of benzo[a]pyrene (BaP) exposure on the development of autoimmune phenotypes in the lupus-prone MRL strain. The exposure of MRL mice to BaP over the course of 8 weeks before lupus onset resulted in total body weight loss in males, while marginal changes in anti-dsDNA levels occurred. Multi-organ analyses of BaP-treated and control MRL mice suggested that the kidney is a major organ directly affected by the metabolism of benzene-containing compounds, with increased expression of BaP-target genes including Cyp4b1 and Hao2. Intriguingly, spatial transcriptomic data showed that BaP caused a drastic reduction in cell-type diversity in both the kidneys and spleen of MRL mice. Further analysis of the molecular pathways affected suggested a sex-biased effect of BaP treatment, with the upregulated expression of angiogenesis genes in the lungs and an increased deposition of C3 in the kidneys of male mice. While SLE is more common in women, the disease is more severe in male patients, with an increased risk of disease progression to renal failure and lung cancer. Our results reveal sex-biased molecular pathways stimulated by BaP which may help explain the increased likelihood of end organ damage in males with lupus.
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Affiliation(s)
- Runqi Zhu
- Department of Physiology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48823, USA
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48823, USA
| | - Kameron Kennicott
- Department of Physiology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48823, USA
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48823, USA
| | - Yun Liang
- Department of Physiology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48823, USA
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48823, USA
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Kianmehr N, Khoshmirsafa M, Shekarabi M, Falak R, Haghighi A, Masoodian M, Seif F, Omidi F, Shirani F, Dadfar N. High frequency of concurrent anti-C1q and anti-dsDNA but not anti-C3b antibodies in patients with Lupus Nephritis. J Immunoassay Immunochem 2021; 42:406-423. [PMID: 33788670 DOI: 10.1080/15321819.2021.1895215] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/11/2023]
Abstract
Lupus Nephritis (LN) in patients with Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE) is one of the most serious and prevalent manifestations. The procedure of renal biopsy is harmful and accompanied by potential hazards. Therefore, introducing reliable biomarkers to predict LN is exceedingly worthwhile. In the present study, we compared the diagnostic values of circulating autoantibodies against dsDNA, C1q, C3b, SSA, SSB, and Sm alone or in combination to predict LN. This study evaluated the abovementioned autoantibodies in 40 healthy controls (HCs) and 95 SLE patients with different kidney involvements, including absent (n = 40), inactive (n = 20), and active (n = 35) LN using EIA method. The frequency and odds ratio of anti-dsDNA (71.4%, OR = 4.2), anti-C1q (62.9%, OR = 5.1), and the simultaneous existence of anti-C1q and anti-dsDNA (51.4%, OR = 6) antibodies were significantly higher in the active LN group compared with both inactive and absent LN groups. Moreover, the levels of anti-C1q and anti-dsDNA antibodies positively correlated with disease activity in patients with SLE. The prevalence of these autoantibodies was associated with the severity of LN biopsies. These data suggest that anti-C1q and anti-dsDNA antibodies and also their simultaneous presence may be valuable diagnostic biomarkers for LN prediction in patients with SLE.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nahid Kianmehr
- Department of Rheumatology, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Majid Khoshmirsafa
- Department of Immunology, School of Medicine, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.,Immunology Research Center, Institute of Immunology and Infectious Diseases Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Mehdi Shekarabi
- Department of Immunology, School of Medicine, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.,Immunology Research Center, Institute of Immunology and Infectious Diseases Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Reza Falak
- Department of Immunology, School of Medicine, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.,Immunology Research Center, Institute of Immunology and Infectious Diseases Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Anousheh Haghighi
- Department of Rheumatology, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Mohammad Masoodian
- Department of Immunology, School of Medicine, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Farhad Seif
- Academic Center for Education, Culture and Research, Tehran, Iran
| | - Forouzan Omidi
- Department of Immunology, School of Medicine, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Fatemeh Shirani
- Department of Rheumatology, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Nima Dadfar
- Department of Rheumatology, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
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