Increased frequency of IgD-CD27hiCD38hi B cells and its association with the renal involvement in ANCA-associated vasculitis

Abstract

Abstract Background B cells have been highlighted in the pathogenesis of antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibody (ANCA)-associated vasculitis (AAV) by the identification of activated B cells in granulomatous lesions and the efficacy of B cell depletion in treatment of AAV patients in the current study; we aimed to investigate the frequency of a specific B cell subset, IgD-CD27hiCD38hi B cells in AAV patients, and its association with the disease severity of AAV. Methods Blood samples of patients with AAV in active stage and in remission were collected. The frequency of IgD-CD27hiCD38hi B cells was detected by flow cytometry, and its correlation with clinicopathological parameters was analyzed. Results Our results showed a significant increase of circulating IgD-CD27hiCD38hi B cells in AAV patients in active stage compared with patients in remission and healthy donors, and the frequency of IgD-CD27hiCD38hi B cells correlated with the severity of renal involvement, including serum creatinine, estimated glomerular filtration rate, and percentages of total crescents in renal biopsies. Conclusions The results indicated that IgD-CD27hiCD38hi B cells could reflect disease severity of renal involvement in AAV.

Keywords

• Antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibody
• Vasculitis
• Renal involvement
• B cells