A T cell gene expression panel for the diagnosis and monitoring of disease activity in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus

Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE) remains a challenging disease to diagnose and follow, as no reliable biomarkers are known to date. We designed a gene expression panel with 40 genes known to play a role in SLE pathogenesis. We found that the combined expression of these genes in SLE T cells can accurately differentiate SLE from healthy individuals and patients with other autoimmune diseases. The accuracy of the test increased further (83%) when only three out of the initial genes (OAS2, CD70 and IL10) were used. A T cell score, calculated from the combined expression levels of these genes, correlated positively with various SLE activity markers in a cross-sectional cohort and in a few patients that were followed prospectively. These data showcase the usefulness of measuring mRNA levels of key molecules in diagnosing and following patients with SLE.