Transcriptomic signature in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) [T cells]

T cell abnormalities are well-known features of patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). The role of CD4 and CD8 T lymphocytes, however, remains poorly understood with data suggesting both protective and deleterious roles. This project aimed to identify a cell-specific transcriptional signature in patients with SLE that could be used as a prognostic disease marker. The overall objective is to correlate the clinical presentation with specific RNA signatures to determine if there are signatures that correlate with disease outcome mRNA extraction from isolated blood CD4+ T cells from 14 SLE with active disease, 16 SLE with less active disease and 14 controls. RNA signatures will be correlated with the clinical presentation.