Use of genetic profiling in leprosy to discriminate clinical forms of the disease

Science. 2003 Sep 12;301(5639):1527-30. doi: 10.1126/science.1087785.

Abstract

Leprosy presents as a clinical and immunological spectrum of disease. With the use of gene expression profiling, we observed that a distinction in gene expression correlates with and accurately classifies the clinical form of the disease. Genes belonging to the leukocyte immunoglobulin-like receptor (LIR) family were significantly up-regulated in lesions of lepromatous patients suffering from the disseminated form of the infection. In functional studies, LIR-7 suppressed innate host defense mechanisms by shifting monocyte production from interleukin-12 toward interleukin-10 and by blocking antimicrobial activity triggered by Toll-like receptors. Gene expression profiles may be useful in defining clinical forms of disease and providing insights into the regulation of immune responses to pathogens.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
  • Research Support, U.S. Gov't, P.H.S.

MeSH terms

  • Algorithms
  • Cluster Analysis
  • Colony Count, Microbial
  • Cytokines / genetics
  • Cytokines / metabolism
  • Gene Expression Profiling*
  • Gene Expression Regulation*
  • Genes, Immunoglobulin
  • Humans
  • Immunity, Cellular
  • Immunity, Innate
  • Leprosy, Lepromatous / classification*
  • Leprosy, Lepromatous / genetics*
  • Leprosy, Lepromatous / immunology
  • Leprosy, Lepromatous / physiopathology
  • Leprosy, Tuberculoid / classification*
  • Leprosy, Tuberculoid / genetics*
  • Leprosy, Tuberculoid / immunology
  • Leprosy, Tuberculoid / physiopathology
  • Macrophages, Alveolar / microbiology
  • Membrane Glycoproteins / immunology
  • Mycobacterium tuberculosis / growth & development
  • Mycobacterium tuberculosis / immunology
  • Oligonucleotide Array Sequence Analysis
  • Polymerase Chain Reaction
  • Principal Component Analysis
  • Receptors, Cell Surface / immunology
  • Receptors, Immunologic / genetics
  • Receptors, Immunologic / metabolism
  • Toll-Like Receptors
  • Up-Regulation

Substances

  • Cytokines
  • LILRA2 protein, human
  • Membrane Glycoproteins
  • Receptors, Cell Surface
  • Receptors, Immunologic
  • Toll-Like Receptors