Gene expression profilings of naive B cell, memory B cell and plasmablast of healthy donors and SLE patients

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is an autoimmune disease characterized by production of various pathogenic autoantibodies. Increased type I interferon signature is suggested as a trigger of the disease. Previous studies identify increased plasmablasts in peripheral blood of SLE patients. In spite of the unique cellular properties of the plasmablasts compared with other B cell subsets and plasma cells, the biological characteristics of SLE plasmblast remain unknown and few therapeutic strategies targeting SLE plasmablasts have been applicated. We performed microarray analysis of naive, memory B cells and plasmablasts (CD38+CD43+ B cells) freshly isolated from healthy controls and active SLE (n=4, each) to find the unique biological properties of SLE plasmablast. Naive B cell, memory B cell and plasmablast were isolated from freshly separated peripheral blood mononuclear cell derived from 4 healthy donors and 4 systemic lupus erythematosus patients