Janni Maria Pedersen, Aida Solhøj Hansen, Cæcilie Skejø, Kristian Juul-Madsen, Peter Junker, Kim Hørslev-Petersen, Merete Lund Hetland, Kristian Stengaard-Pedersen, Mikkel Østergaard, Bjarne Kuno Møller, Lene Dreyer, Ellen-Margrethe Hauge, Malene Hvid, Stinne Greisen, Bent Deleuran
BACKGROUND: Lymphocyte activation gene-3 (LAG-3) inhibits T cell activation and interferes with the immune response by binding to MHC-II. As antigen presentation is central in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) pathogenesis, we studied aspects of LAG-3 as a serological marker and mediator in the pathogenesis of RA. Since Galectin-3 (Gal-3) is described as an additional binding partner for LAG-3, we also aimed to study the functional importance of this interaction. METHODS: Plasma levels of soluble (s) LAG-3 were measured in early RA patients (eRA, n = 99) at baseline and after 12 months on a treat-to-target protocol, in self-reportedly healthy controls (HC, n = 32), and in paired plasma and synovial fluid (SF) from chronic RA patients (cRA, n = 38)...
June 7, 2023: Arthritis Research & Therapy