Armin Attar - Department of Cardiovascular Medicine, Division of Interventional Cardiology, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran
Mohsen Khosravi Maharlooei - Students’ Research Committee, Cell and Molecular Medicine Research Group, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran
Mohammad Nazarnia - Internal Medicine Department, Rheumatology Division, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran
Ahmad Hosseini - Institute of Cancer Research, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran

Background & Objective: It is not clear whether activated lymphocytes of patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) are more proliferative or less apoptotic. We aimed to delineate potential differences between B and T cells of SLE patients compared to healthy controls regarding the telomerase activity and apoptosis status. Methods: In this cross-sectional case control study, Blood samples were taken from 10 SLE patients and 10 healthy controls.  B and T cells were separated using magnetic cell sorting system. Telomeric repeat amplification protocol (TRAP) assay and real-time PCR were used to determine the telomerase activity and the expression of alternatively spliced variants. Results: Four patients under treatment showed significant telomerase activity in their T cells. Four of the newly diagnosed patients showed telomerase activity in their B cells (20% of all patients and 40% of new onset patients). There was no specific pattern of human telomerase reverse transcriptase variant expression within the patients’ lymphocytes. A significantly reduced expression of Bcl-2 was detected in B cells (P=0.018) and a trend toward lower Bcl-2 expression in T cells was seen in SLE patients compared to healthy controls. Conclusion: Although not definitive, our results may suggest that B cells may have more active roles during the earlier phases of the disease attack, while T cells take over when the disease reaches its chronic stages.

Apoptosis, Lymphocyte, Systemic Lupus Erythematosus, Telomerase