OP0306 Downregulation of micrornas in plasmacytoid dendritic cells is associated with a type i interferon signature in systemic lupus erythematosus and antiphospholipid syndrome
Authors: LL Van Den Hoogen, JA van Roon, RD Fritsch-Stork, CP Bekker, A Pandit, M Rossato, TR Radstake
Journal: Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases (2017)

<h3>Background</h3> The most prominent alteration in the immune system of patients with SLE is a type I interferon (IFN) signature, which we recently also reported in patients with primary APS (PAPS). In SLE and APS, this signature is related to disease activity and vascular disease. Plasmacytoid dendritic cells (pDC) are considered key players in the pathogenesis of SLE and APS as they are major producers of type I IFNs. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are short non-coding RNAs that modulate gene expression through RNA interference mechanisms and have been implicated in the dysregulation of immune cells in patients with autoimmune diseases. Here we investigated miRNA expression in pDC of patients with SLE and APS in relation to the type I IFN signature. <h3>Objectives</h3> To identify if pDC dysregulation in patients with SLE and APS is associated with alterations of their miRNA expression profile. <h3>Methods</h3> The frequency of circulating pDC was determined by flow cytometry in patients with SLE (n=49), SLE+APS (n=34) and PAPS (n=27) and healthy controls (HC, n=22). RNA was extracted from pDCs isolated from the peripheral blood of patients with SLE (n=20), SLE+APS (n=10), PAPS (n=10) and HC (n=12). pDC miRNA and transcriptome profiles were assessed by RT-qPCR by OpenArray and RNA-sequencing (RNAseq) respectively. Patients were stratified by the presence (IFN-high) or absence (IFN-low) of an IFN signature on the basis of RNAseq. pDC stimulated with TLR7 agonists were analyzed for changes in miRNA expression. <h3>Results</h3> The numbers of circulating pDC were reduced in peripheral blood of patients with SLE, SLE+APS and PAPS (all p&lt;0.001) and did not differ among the patient groups. Among 131 expressed miRNAs, 36, 17 and 21 miRNAs were differentially expressed (p&lt;0.05) in patients with SLE, SLE+APS and PAPS, respectively, as compared with HC. All but one of these miRNAs were downregulated in the patients versus HC. Only 1 miRNA was differentially expressed when comparing between SLE and SLE+APS patients and between SLE+APS and PAPS patients. No changes in expression of genes related to the biogenesis of miRNAs were observed in the pDC of the patient groups. RNAseq data revealed an IFN signature in pDC, which was strongest in SLE and SLE+APS patients. IFN-high (n=23) patients showed a stronger downregulation of miRNAs as compared with IFN-low (n=17) patients. A total of 9 miRNAs were differentially expressed between IFN-high and IFN-low patients. Pathway enrichment on targets of the top three miRNA (p&lt;0.001) distinguishing between IFN-high and –low patients indicated that these miRNAs are potentially regulating pathways relevant for pDC function such as TLR signaling and endocytosis. Activation of pDCs by TLR7 agonists induced a downregulation of miRNAs in pDC, resembling the miRNA expression pattern seen in patients, in particular those with a high type I IFN signature. <h3>Conclusions</h3> Reduced numbers of circulating pDC and downregulation of miRNAs in pDC is shared between SLE, SLE+APS and PAPS patients. Altered miRNA expression in pDC is associated with the presence of a type I IFN signature in SLE and APS. Our data suggest that the reduced expression of a subset of miRNA underlies pDC dysregulation in SLE, SLE+APS and PAPS patients. <h3>Disclosure of Interest</h3> None declared