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Engdahl C, Bondt A, Harre U, Raufer J, Pfeifle R, Camponeschi A, Wuhrer M, Seeling M, Mårtensson IL, Nimmerjahn F, Krönke G, Scherer HU, Forsblad-d'Elia H, Schett G. Estrogen induces St6gal1 expression and increases IgG sialylation in mice and patients with rheumatoid arthritis: a potential explanation for the increased risk of rheumatoid arthritis in postmenopausal women. Arthritis Res Ther 2018; 20:84. [PMID: 29720252 PMCID: PMC5932893 DOI: 10.1186/s13075-018-1586-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 57] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/17/2018] [Accepted: 04/03/2018] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) preferentially affects women, with the peak incidence coinciding with estrogen decrease in menopause. Estrogen (E2) may therefore have intrinsic immune-regulatory properties that vanish with menopause. Fc sialylation is a crucial factor determining the inflammatory effector function of antibodies. We therefore analyzed whether E2 affects immunoglobulin G (IgG) sialylation. METHODS Postmenopausal (ovariectomized) mice were immunized with ovalbumin and treated with E2 or vehicle. Total and ovalbumin-specific IgG concentrations, sialylation, and Fcγ receptor expression were analyzed. Postmenopausal women with RA receiving hormone replacement therapy, including E2, or no treatment were analyzed for IgG sialylation. Furthermore, effects of E2 on the expression of the sialylation enzyme β-galactoside α2,6-sialyltransferase 1 (St6Gal1) were studied in mouse and human antibody-producing cells. RESULTS E2 treatment significantly increased Fc sialylation of total and ovalbumin-specific IgG in postmenopausal mice. Furthermore, E2 led to increased expression of inhibitory Fcγ receptor IIb on bone marrow leukocytes. Treatment with E2 also increased St6Gal1 expression in mouse and human antibody-producing cells, providing a mechanistic explanation for the increase in IgG-Fc sialylation. In postmenopausal women with RA, treatment with E2 significantly increased the Fc sialylation of IgG. CONCLUSIONS E2 induces anti-inflammatory effector functions in IgG by inducing St6Gal1 expression in antibody-producing cells and by increasing Fc sialylation. These observations provide a mechanistic explanation for the increased risk of RA in conditions with low estrogen levels such as menopause.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cecilia Engdahl
- Department of Internal Medicine 3, Rheumatology and Immunology, Universitätsklinikum Erlangen, Friedrich Alexander University Erlangen-Nürnberg, Erlangen, Germany. .,Department of Rheumatology and Inflammation Research, Institute of Medicine, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden. .,Centre for Bone and Arthritis Research, Department of Internal Medicine and Clinical Nutrition, Institute of Medicine, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden.
| | - Albert Bondt
- Department of Rheumatology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands.,Center for Proteomics and Metabolomics, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Ulrike Harre
- Department of Internal Medicine 3, Rheumatology and Immunology, Universitätsklinikum Erlangen, Friedrich Alexander University Erlangen-Nürnberg, Erlangen, Germany
| | - Jasmin Raufer
- Department of Internal Medicine 3, Rheumatology and Immunology, Universitätsklinikum Erlangen, Friedrich Alexander University Erlangen-Nürnberg, Erlangen, Germany
| | - René Pfeifle
- Department of Internal Medicine 3, Rheumatology and Immunology, Universitätsklinikum Erlangen, Friedrich Alexander University Erlangen-Nürnberg, Erlangen, Germany
| | - Alessandro Camponeschi
- Department of Rheumatology and Inflammation Research, Institute of Medicine, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Manfred Wuhrer
- Center for Proteomics and Metabolomics, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Michaela Seeling
- Center for Proteomics and Metabolomics, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Inga-Lill Mårtensson
- Department of Rheumatology and Inflammation Research, Institute of Medicine, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Falk Nimmerjahn
- Institute of Genetics at the Department of Biology, FAU Erlangen-Nuremberg, Erlangen, Germany
| | - Gerhard Krönke
- Department of Internal Medicine 3, Rheumatology and Immunology, Universitätsklinikum Erlangen, Friedrich Alexander University Erlangen-Nürnberg, Erlangen, Germany
| | - Hans U Scherer
- Department of Rheumatology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Helena Forsblad-d'Elia
- Department of Rheumatology and Inflammation Research, Institute of Medicine, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden.,Department of Public Health and Clinical Medicine, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden
| | - Georg Schett
- Department of Internal Medicine 3, Rheumatology and Immunology, Universitätsklinikum Erlangen, Friedrich Alexander University Erlangen-Nürnberg, Erlangen, Germany.
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