Soluble signal inhibitory receptor on leukocytes-1 reflects disease activity and assists diagnosis of patients with rheumatoid arthritis

Background: SIRL-1, an immunosuppressive receptor encoded by the VSTM1 gene, has recently been linked to rheumatoid arthritis (RA) due to its association with activated polymorphonuclear neutrophils (PMNs). Considering that the activated PMNs play a crucial role in the pathogenesis of rheumatoid arthritis (RA), we aimed to measure the levels of soluble SIRL-1, investigating whether they add value to RA in the clinical diagnosis.

Methods: Utilizing an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, the concentration of sSIRL-1 was measured in serum samples from cohort 1 diagnosed with RA (n = 96), gout (n = 54), osteoarthritis (n = 47), healthy controls (n = 86) and synovial fluid samples from OA (n = 8) and RA (n = 8) patients, respectively. Additionally, an external validation in cohort 2 (n = 156) comprising various inflammatory diseases was employed.

Results: The study revealed a distinctive upregulation of sSIRL-1 in the serum of RA compared to HC and other arthralgia diseases (p < 0.0001), which also displayed a significant elevation in synovial fluid from RA compared to OA (p < 0.05). Notably, sSIRL-1 levels exhibited a significant decrease in patients who achieved disease remission (p < 0.05). Furthermore, the diagnostic accuracy of RA was enhanced when sSIRL-1 was combined with anti-CCP and RF, yielding an impressive AUC value of 0.950.

Conclusion: The expression pattern of sSIRL-1 in RA, coupled with its correlation with disease activity, underscores its potential clinical utility for both diagnosis and disease monitoring in RA patients. This study offers valuable insights into the evolving diagnostic landscape of RA.