Inverse Correlation Between IL-10-Producing Bregs and IFN-Gamma-Producing NK Cells in Psoriatic Arthritis and Psoriasis

Athanasios Mavropoulos¹, Areti Varna¹, Christos Liaskos¹, Efterpi Zafiriou², Marianna Vlychou³, Christina Katsiari⁴, Dimitrios Bogdanos⁵ and Lazaros I. Sakkas⁶, ¹Department of Rheumatology, School of Health Sciences, University of Thessaly, Larissa, Greece, ²Dermatology, University of Thessaly, Larissa, Greece, ³Radiology, University of Thessaly, Larissa, Greece, ⁴Department of Rheumatology, University of Thessaly, Larrisa, Thessaly, Greece, ⁵Department of Rheumatology, University of Thessaly, Larissa, Greece, ⁶University, Athens, Greece

Meeting: 2016 ACR/ARHP Annual Meeting

Date of first publication: September 28, 2016

Keywords: Autoimmunity, B cells, cytokines, inflammatory arthritis and natural killer (NK) cells

Session Information

Date: Tuesday, November 15, 2016

Title: Spondylarthropathies Psoriatic Arthritis – Pathogenesis, Etiology - Poster II

Session Type: ACR Poster Session C

Session Time: 9:00AM-11:00AM

Background/Purpose: A recent study from our group has shown functional impairment and numerical decrease of transitional and memory IL-10-producing regulatory B cells (Bregs) in patients with psoriatic arthritis (PsA) and psoriasis (Ps) (Ann Rheum Dis 2015;74:423). Other cells such as natural killer (NK) have been involved in the development of PsA and Ps, but their relationship with Bregs has not been studied. The aim of the study was to investigate quantitative and qualitative variations of NK subsets expressing the pro-inflammatory IFN-γ and IL-17 cytokines and their relation with IL-10-producing Bregs.

Methods: Peripheral blood mononuclear cells from 100 subjects including 40 PsA, 40 Ps and 20 healthy controls (HC) were studied. Flow cytometric analysis was carried out with MoAbs against cell surface markers CD56, CD16, CD3, CD7, CD19, CD24, CD27 and CD38. Intracellular expression of cytoplasmic IFN-γ, IL-17 and IL-10 following bacterial CpG (ODN2006) and PMA/ionomycin stimulation was also examined by flow cytometry.

Results: There was a negative correlation between CD3negCD56pos (NK) and CD19posCD24hiCD38hi (transitional) Bregs and between CD3negCD56pos and CD19posCD24hiCD27pos (memory Bregs) (p<0.05, for both). IFN-γ-producing NK inversely correlated with IL-10-producing Bregs. IL-17-producing NK were also inversely correlated with IL-10-producing Bregs (P<0.05). A very small proportion of NK cell produced IFN-γ plus IL-17. NK from patients with PsA and Ps produced significantly higher IFN-γ compared to HCs, and this was also found for IL-17 (p<0.05, for both). Very few CD3posCD56pos (NKT) cells produced IFN-γ plus IL-17 but there was no correlation of these cells subsets with Bregs.

Conclusion: IL-10-producing Bregs is negatively correlated with IFN-γ- and IL-17-producing NK cells in PsA and Ps. This suggests a dominant role of the innate arm of immunity over suppressor adaptive responses, such as those exerted by regulatory B cells.

Disclosure: A. Mavropoulos, None; A. Varna, None; C. Liaskos, None; E. Zafiriou, None; M. Vlychou, None; C. Katsiari, None; D. Bogdanos, None; L. I. Sakkas, None.

To cite this abstract in AMA style:

Mavropoulos A, Varna A, Liaskos C, Zafiriou E, Vlychou M, Katsiari C, Bogdanos D, Sakkas LI. Inverse Correlation Between IL-10-Producing Bregs and IFN-Gamma-Producing NK Cells in Psoriatic Arthritis and Psoriasis [abstract]. Arthritis Rheumatol. 2016; 68 (suppl 10). https://acrabstracts.org/abstract/inverse-correlation-between-il-10-producing-bregs-and-ifn-gamma-producing-nk-cells-in-psoriatic-arthritis-and-psoriasis/. Accessed .

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