Prevalence of T cell receptor ζchain deficiency in systemic lupus erythematosus

Abstract

T cells from patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) display antigen receptor-mediated signaling aberrations associated with defective T cell receptor (TCR) z chain expression. We determined the prevalence of TCR z chain deficiency in SLE from a large cohort of unselected racially diverse patients with different levels of clinical disease activity as determined by SLE Disease Activity Index (SLEDAI). Our data show that the occurrence of TCR z chain deficiency is 78% in SLE patients. There was no relationship between the deficiency of TCR z chain and the SLEDAI scores or therapy. TCR z chain deficiency was also not associated with age, race or gender and persisted over a 3 year follow-up period. Thus, there is a high prevalence of TCR z chain deficiency in SLE patients that is independent of disease activity, and persists over time indicating an important role for TCR z chain deficiency in SLE pathogenesis.