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Distinct binding mode of BAFF antagonist antibodies belimumab and tabalumab, analyzed by computer simulation. J Mol Model 2022; 28:292. [PMID: 36063219 DOI: 10.1007/s00894-022-05142-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/14/2021] [Accepted: 04/24/2022] [Indexed: 10/14/2022]
Abstract
B cell-activating factor (BAFF) can bind with specific receptors to activate signalling pathways associated with the B cell activation. Belimumab and tabalumab are anti-BAFF (B cell depleting) monoclonal antibodies, with therapeutic efficacy demonstrated for the treatment of autoimmune disorders, while belimumab was approved by FDA in 2011 as a targeted therapy for systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and exhibited better clinical outcome than tabalumab. In this investigation, the combination modes of BAFF-belimumab and BAFF-tabalumab complexes were simulated in silico to better understand the reason for the comparative inhibitory difference between belimumab and tabalumab. The structures of belimumab and tabalumab were constructed through homology modelling. The combination mode of BAFF-belimumab complex was analyzed by molecular dynamics simulation, while that of BAFF-tabalumab complex was analyzed by protein-protein docking following the molecular dynamics simulation. Both belimumab and tabalumab were bound with BAFF at the same hydrophobic center to which the natural receptors of BAFF bind as well. Belimumab heavy chain components I51, F54, K58, D100, D101, L102, L103, and P105 and R27, Y30, K49, and S65 of belimumab light chain contribute to the BAFF-belimumab interaction mainly via hydrogen bonds, salt bridges, and hydrophobic interactions. More importantly, belimumab could bind to L83 of BAFF and produce steric hindrance with the adjacent BAFF trimers, while tabalumab could not. Therefore, our results indicated that belimumab has a better clinical outcome compared with tabalumab mainly because belimumab could bind to L83 of BAFF and interfere the formation of a BAFF 60-mer, besides mediating inhibition of the interaction of BAFF with its receptors.
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Samões B, Zen M, Abelha-Aleixo J, Gatto M, Doria A. Caveats and pitfalls in defining low disease activity in systemic lupus erythematosus. Autoimmun Rev 2022; 21:103165. [PMID: 35931316 DOI: 10.1016/j.autrev.2022.103165] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/23/2022] [Accepted: 07/31/2022] [Indexed: 11/02/2022]
Abstract
The treat-to-target strategy has been recently suggested in the management of Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE). Lupus Low Disease Activity State (LLDAS) and Definitions Of Remission In SLE (DORIS) remission were outlined as two concentric targets. The achievement of LLDAS was shown to be associated with lower frequency of SLE flare, decreased damage progression, better quality of life, and reduced mortality. In addition, LLDAS has successfully been tested in post-hoc analyses of a number of randomized controlled trials. However, it has been recently underlined that LLDAS includes a high proportion of patients in remission, raising the question if these endpoints are sufficiently distinct to consider their separation clinically relevant. Some studies suggest that the protective effect of LLDAS on damage might be due to the inclusion of patients who are in remission. Notably, clinical low disease activity (LDA) seems to be uncommon in SLE due to the relapsing-remitting pattern of the disease, in which low level of activity only occurs transiently. Moreover, since the domains included in LLDAS have several limitations, such as the use of a binomial disease activity index, the exclusion of some mild manifestations and the consideration of items subjected to variability (physician global assessment and glucocorticoids dose), not all patients in LDA are adequately represented by LLDAS.
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Affiliation(s)
- Beatriz Samões
- Rheumatology Department, Centro Hospitalar de Vila Nova de Gaia e Espinho, Rua Conceição Fernandes, s/n, 4434-502 Vila Nova de Gaia, Portugal.
| | - Margherita Zen
- Division of Rheumatology, Department of Medicine, University of Padova, Via Giustiniani 2, 35128 Padova, Italy.
| | - Joana Abelha-Aleixo
- Rheumatology Department, Centro Hospitalar de Vila Nova de Gaia e Espinho, Rua Conceição Fernandes, s/n, 4434-502 Vila Nova de Gaia, Portugal.
| | - Mariele Gatto
- Division of Rheumatology, Department of Medicine, University of Padova, Via Giustiniani 2, 35128 Padova, Italy.
| | - Andrea Doria
- Division of Rheumatology, Department of Medicine, University of Padova, Via Giustiniani 2, 35128 Padova, Italy.
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Mubariki R, Vadasz Z. The role of B cell metabolism in autoimmune diseases. Autoimmun Rev 2022; 21:103116. [PMID: 35595053 DOI: 10.1016/j.autrev.2022.103116] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/26/2022] [Accepted: 05/15/2022] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
B cells are major players in immune responses being the source of protective antibodies and antigen presenting cells. When self-tolerance fails, auto reactive B cells produce autoantibodies and pro-inflammatory cytokines leading to the development of autoimmune diseases. Many recent studies have assessed importance of metabolic pathways in B cells, demonstrating their role in controlling autoimmunity and maintaining immune homeostasis. Alterations in B cell functions in autoimmune diseases are closely associated with abnormal metabolic shifts, allowing auto reactive B cells to escape tolerogenic checkpoints. Understanding the metabolic changes in B cells, opens up new possibilities for targeting metabolic pathways and manipulating metabolic avenues as a therapeutic strategy for the treatment of autoimmune diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Raeda Mubariki
- Division of Allergy and Clinical immunology, Bnai-Zion Medical Center, The Rappaport Faculty of Medicine, Technion, Haifa, Israel
| | - Zahava Vadasz
- Division of Allergy and Clinical immunology, Bnai-Zion Medical Center, The Rappaport Faculty of Medicine, Technion, Haifa, Israel.
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Flessa CM, Zampeli E, Evangelopoulos ME, Natsis V, Bodewes ILA, Huijser E, Versnel MA, Moutsopoulos HM, Mavragani CP. Genetic Variants of the BAFF Gene and Risk of Fatigue Among Patients With Primary Sjögren's Syndrome. Front Immunol 2022; 13:836824. [PMID: 35371038 PMCID: PMC8964489 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2022.836824] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/15/2021] [Accepted: 02/17/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Background/Purpose Primary Sjögren's Syndrome (SS) is characterized by B lymphocyte hyperactivity with B cell activating factor (BAFF) acting as an important regulator. Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms (SNPs) of the BAFF gene have been implicated in the pathogenesis of several autoimmune diseases characterized by heightened fatigue levels, including primary SS. We aimed to explore potential associations between BAFF SNPs and fatigue status of primary SS patients. Methods Fatigue status was assessed in 199 consecutive primary SS patients (Greek cohort) using the Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy-Fatigue (FACIT-F) scale. Clinical, histological, laboratory, psychometric and personality data were also collected. DNA extracted from peripheral blood of all patients underwent evaluation for the presence of five BAFF SNPs (rs9514827, rs1041569, rs9514828, rs1224141, rs12583006) by PCR. To confirm our findings, an independent replicative cohort of 62 primary SS patients (Dutch cohort) was implemented. Finally, 52 multiple sclerosis (MS) patients were served as disease controls (MS cohort). Analysis of BAFF SNPs in association with fatigue levels was performed by the online platforms SNPStats and SHEsis and the SPSS 26 and Graph Pad Prism 8.00 software. Results TT genotype of the rs9514828 BAFF polymorphism was significantly less frequent in the fatigued primary SS patients of the Greek cohort compared to the non-fatigued (14.1% vs 33.3%). The corresponding ORs [95%CI] in the dominant and overdominant models were 0.33 [0.15-0.72], p=0.003 and 0.42 [0.23-0.78], p=0.005 respectively. The association remained significant after adjustment for the variables contributing to fatigue in the univariate analysis (OR [95% CI]: 0.3 [0.1-0.9], p=0.026). Accordingly, in the Dutch cohort, there was a trend of lower mental fatigue among patients carrying the TT rs9514828 BAFF genotype compared to their CC counterparts (4.1 ± 2.4 vs 6.0 ± 2.2 respectively, p=0.06). The rs9514828 BAFF SNP was not significantly associated with fatigue in the MS cohort. Conclusions We report a novel association between genetic makeup and primary SS-associated fatigue with the rs9514828 TT genotype decreasing the likelihood of fatigue development among these patients. These findings need validation in multi-center studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christina-Maria Flessa
- Department of Physiology, Medical School, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece
| | | | - Maria-Eleftheria Evangelopoulos
- 1st Department of Neurology, Multiple Sclerosis and Demyelinating Disease Unit, Eginition University Hospital, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece
| | - Vasilis Natsis
- 1st Department of Neurology, Multiple Sclerosis and Demyelinating Disease Unit, Eginition University Hospital, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece
| | - Iris L A Bodewes
- Department of Immunology, Erasmus Medical Center, University Medical Center Rotterdam, Rotterdam, Netherlands
| | - Erika Huijser
- Department of Immunology, Erasmus Medical Center, University Medical Center Rotterdam, Rotterdam, Netherlands
| | - Marjan A Versnel
- Department of Immunology, Erasmus Medical Center, University Medical Center Rotterdam, Rotterdam, Netherlands
| | | | - Clio P Mavragani
- Department of Physiology, Medical School, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece.,Fourth Department of Internal Medicine, Rheumatology and Clinical Immunology Unit, "Attikon" University Hospital, Medical School, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece.,Joint Academic Rheumatology Program, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, School of Medicine, Athens, Greece
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