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Precision Proteomic Profiling of Systemic Lupus Erythematosus-Correlating Disease Activity and Complement Levels with
Jacob Skallerup1,2, Christopher Aboo1,2, Dorte B Bekker-Jensen3
1Department of Health Science and Technology, Aalborg University, 9260 Gistrup, Denmark.
Biomedicines
|June 26, 2026
Summary
Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) disease activity and complement activation show distinct plasma proteomic patterns. Mass spectrometry identified candidate molecular signatures for SLE, requiring further validation for clinical use.
Area of Science:
- Immunology
- Proteomics
- Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE)
Background:
- Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) presents with varied clinical features and complex immune responses.
- Understanding SLE pathogenesis requires characterizing serological markers and molecular signatures.
Purpose of the Study:
- To profile plasma proteomic patterns associated with SLE disease activity (SLEDAI) and complement activation (C3dg).
- To investigate molecular signatures using high-throughput mass spectrometry and autoantibody profiling in SLE patients.
Main Methods:
- Analyzed plasma from 39 SLE patients categorized by SLEDAI and C3dg levels.
- Utilized rapid LC-MS/MS for proteomic analysis and global autoantibody protein microarrays.
- Performed unsupervised and supervised protein expression analysis.
Main Results:
- Identified 25 proteins linked to SLE disease activity and 25 to complement activation.
- Found correlations between adaptive immunity, complement activation, immunoglobulin production, and disease activity.
- Observed distinct autoantibody reactivity patterns across patient subgroups.
Conclusions:
- Plasma proteomic patterns for SLE disease activity and complement activation overlap but are not identical.
- Rapid mass spectrometry and autoantibody profiling are feasible for identifying SLE molecular signatures.
- Findings are exploratory and require validation in larger cohorts for clinical application.
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