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Published on: June 7, 2017
Association of interferon regulatory factor 8 dysregulation with dry eye in Sjögren's syndrome
Jiao Wang1, Guang-Hong Chu1, Zi-Huan Wang1
1The First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing Key Laboratory of Ophthalmology, Chongqing Eye Institute, Chongqing Branch (Municipality Division) of National Clinical Research Center for Ocular Diseases, Chongqing 400016, China.
Aim:
To investigate the expression of interferon regulatory factors (IRFs) in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) of patients with Sjögren's syndrome-related dry eye (SSDE) and to explore their correlation with clinical features, dendritic cell activation, and serological indicators.
Methods:
A total of 53 SSDE patients and 62 non-Sjögren's syndrome dry eye (NSSDE) patients were enrolled. Demographic and clinical data were collected, and comprehensive ophthalmic examinations were performed, including the ocular surface disease index (OSDI) questionnaires, Schirmer I test (SIT), tear break-up time (TBUT), corneal fluorescein staining score (CFS), and in vivo confocal microscopy (IVCM). PBMCs were isolated, and IRFs expression levels were analyzed using Western blotting (WB) and quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR). Serological indicators, including antinuclear antibodies (ANA) and anti-Ro60, anti-Ro52, and anti-La autoantibodies, were detected. Statistical analyses evaluated correlations between IRFs expression and clinical parameters.
Results:
Compared to NSSDE, the relative mRNA and protein expression of the IRF-8 was significantly upregulated in patients with SSDE (P<0.001), whereas no significant differences were observed in IRF-1, IRF-3, IRF-5, and IRF-7 (P=0.12, P=0.10, P=0.66, P=0.96). Correlation analysis revealed that IRF-8 expression was positively associated with CFS and OSDI scores (r=0.57, r=0.38, both P<0.05). Moreover, IRF-8 expression correlated with corneal dendritic cell (DC) density and size, and the number of dendrites (r=0.43, r=0.40, r=0.65, all P<0.05). IRF-8 expression was significantly elevated in patients positive for anti-Ro60, anti-Ro52 and anti-La autoantibodies (P<0.05).
Conclusion:
In SSDE, IRF-8 is upregulated and associated with clinical features, DC activation, and serological indicators. These findings suggest that IRF-8 plays a critical role in SSDE pathogenesis and may serve as a potential therapeutic target for diagnosis and treatment.
