Aberrant Expression of the Costimulatory Molecule CD40 Ligand on Monocytes from Patients with Systemic Lupus Erythematosus

CD40 ligand (CD40L, CD154) is overexpressed on T and B cells in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Monocytes have been shown to contribute to immune-mediated pathology in SLE and to express CD40L under certain conditions. Therefore, we studied CD40L expression on lupus monocytes ex vivo, as well as after activation in vitro. A highly significant sevenfold increase in the frequency of CD40L-expressing peripheral monocytes from 23 SLE patients, compared to 16 healthy individuals (mean percentage of CD40L+CD14+ among CD14+ cells, 11.7 versus 1.6), was found by flow cytometry. Increased CD40L expression on monocytes correlated significantly with disease activity, elevated γ-globulin serum levels, as well as increased CD40L expression on T cells. CD40L expression by lupus monocytes was verified at both the mRNA and protein levels, while LPS stimulation was found to upregulate CD40L mRNA accumulation and surface protein expression. CD40L expression on activated lupus monocytes within anti-CD3-stimulated, mononuclear cell cultures was also enhanced compared to control-derived monocytes. These novel findings underscore the multiplicity of pathways through which monocytes may contribute to SLE pathology and suggest that T cell-independent CD40L-mediated cell to cell interactions may be also involved in humoral immune activation in SLE.