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Updated: Jun 19, 2026

Adoptive Immunotherapy of iNKT Cells in Glucose-6-Phosphate Isomerase (G6PI)-Induced RA Mice
Published on: January 31, 2020
iTRAQ-based proteomic identification of leucine-rich alpha-2 glycoprotein as a novel inflammatory biomarker in
Satoshi Serada1, Minoru Fujimoto, Atsushi Ogata
1Laboratory for Immune Signal, National Institute of Biomedical Innovation, 7-6-8 Saito-asagi, Ibaragi, Osaka, Japan.
Objective:
To identify a novel serum biomarker of disease activity in inflammatory autoimmune disorders.
Methods:
Sera obtained from rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients before and after anti-TNF therapy were analysed by iTRAQ (isobaric tags for relative and absolute quantitation) quantitative proteomic analysis and further validated by ELISA.
Results:
Of 326 proteins identified by proteomic analysis, increased serum levels of leucine-rich alpha-2 glycoprotein (LRG) was identified in RA patients before therapy. Serum LRG concentrations were significantly elevated in RA patients compared with healthy controls and decreased after anti-TNF therapy. Furthermore, serum LRG concentrations correlated with disease activity in RA and Crohn's disease (CD). Interestingly, in a subpopulation of patients with active CD and normal C-reactive protein levels, serum LRG concentrations were elevated.
Conclusions:
LRG represents a novel serum biomarker for monitoring disease activity during therapy in autoimmune patients, particularly useful in patients with active disease but normal CRP levels.