Urinary V‐Set Ig Domain‐Containing Protein 4 and Immune Complexes for Tracking Lupus Nephritis and Renal Pathology

Objective This study aims to investigate whether V‐set Ig domain‐containing protein 4 (VSIG4; also known as complement receptor of the Ig superfamily [CRIg]) forms immune complexes (ICxs) with IgG and complement component 3 (C3) in the kidneys of patients with lupus nephritis (LN) and to assess the...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Aygun Teymur, Chenling Tang, Fariz Nazir, Neda Ostadnejad, Qi Cai, Ramesh Saxena, Tianfu Wu
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Wiley 2025-05-01
Series:ACR Open Rheumatology
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1002/acr2.70044
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
_version_ 1849688903040106496
author Aygun Teymur
Chenling Tang
Fariz Nazir
Neda Ostadnejad
Qi Cai
Ramesh Saxena
Tianfu Wu
author_facet Aygun Teymur
Chenling Tang
Fariz Nazir
Neda Ostadnejad
Qi Cai
Ramesh Saxena
Tianfu Wu
author_sort Aygun Teymur
collection DOAJ
description Objective This study aims to investigate whether V‐set Ig domain‐containing protein 4 (VSIG4; also known as complement receptor of the Ig superfamily [CRIg]) forms immune complexes (ICxs) with IgG and complement component 3 (C3) in the kidneys of patients with lupus nephritis (LN) and to assess the potential of urinary VSIG4 and VSIG4‐ICx as noninvasive biomarkers of LN. Methods Immunofluorescent staining was employed to detect the deposition of VSIG4 (CRIg), IgG, and C3 in kidney tissue. Urine samples from 102 patients with LN, 51 healthy controls (HCs), and 13 patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) were analyzed via enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay for VSIG4‐ICx and free‐form VSIG4. Results Immunofluorescence costaining demonstrated the colocalization of VSIG4, IgG, and C3 in the kidneys of those with LN and elevated VSIG4 protein expression in the glomeruli regions in LN. Compared with HCs and those with CKD, patients with LN exhibited significantly elevated levels of urinary VSIG4 in both free form and ICx. Urinary VSIG4‐ICx correlated with clinical parameters, including the Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Disease Activity Index (SLEDAI) (R = 0.55, P < 0.0001), renal SLEDAI (R = 0.52, P < 0.0001), estimated glomerular filtration rate (−0.5, P < 0.001), activity index (R = 0.25, P < 0.05), chronicity index (R = 0.32, P < 0.05), complement C3 (R = −0.33, P < 0.05), and complement C4 (R = −0.31, P < 0.05). The strong association of the urinary VSIG4‐ICx with disease activity metrics and histopathologic evidence underscores its potential for clinical utility in diagnosing and monitoring LN. Conclusion VSIG4‐ICx shows promise as a novel urine biomarker for LN, with potential utility for diagnosis and disease monitoring.
format Article
id doaj-art-e9d7120c444e4f72be717694978000c0
institution DOAJ
issn 2578-5745
language English
publishDate 2025-05-01
publisher Wiley
record_format Article
series ACR Open Rheumatology
spelling doaj-art-e9d7120c444e4f72be717694978000c02025-08-20T03:21:50ZengWileyACR Open Rheumatology2578-57452025-05-0175n/an/a10.1002/acr2.70044Urinary V‐Set Ig Domain‐Containing Protein 4 and Immune Complexes for Tracking Lupus Nephritis and Renal PathologyAygun Teymur0Chenling Tang1Fariz Nazir2Neda Ostadnejad3Qi Cai4Ramesh Saxena5Tianfu Wu6University of Houston Houston TexasUniversity of Houston Houston TexasUniversity of Houston Houston TexasUniversity of Houston Houston TexasUniversity of Texas Southwestern Medical Center DallasUniversity of Texas Southwestern Medical Center DallasUniversity of Houston Houston TexasObjective This study aims to investigate whether V‐set Ig domain‐containing protein 4 (VSIG4; also known as complement receptor of the Ig superfamily [CRIg]) forms immune complexes (ICxs) with IgG and complement component 3 (C3) in the kidneys of patients with lupus nephritis (LN) and to assess the potential of urinary VSIG4 and VSIG4‐ICx as noninvasive biomarkers of LN. Methods Immunofluorescent staining was employed to detect the deposition of VSIG4 (CRIg), IgG, and C3 in kidney tissue. Urine samples from 102 patients with LN, 51 healthy controls (HCs), and 13 patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) were analyzed via enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay for VSIG4‐ICx and free‐form VSIG4. Results Immunofluorescence costaining demonstrated the colocalization of VSIG4, IgG, and C3 in the kidneys of those with LN and elevated VSIG4 protein expression in the glomeruli regions in LN. Compared with HCs and those with CKD, patients with LN exhibited significantly elevated levels of urinary VSIG4 in both free form and ICx. Urinary VSIG4‐ICx correlated with clinical parameters, including the Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Disease Activity Index (SLEDAI) (R = 0.55, P < 0.0001), renal SLEDAI (R = 0.52, P < 0.0001), estimated glomerular filtration rate (−0.5, P < 0.001), activity index (R = 0.25, P < 0.05), chronicity index (R = 0.32, P < 0.05), complement C3 (R = −0.33, P < 0.05), and complement C4 (R = −0.31, P < 0.05). The strong association of the urinary VSIG4‐ICx with disease activity metrics and histopathologic evidence underscores its potential for clinical utility in diagnosing and monitoring LN. Conclusion VSIG4‐ICx shows promise as a novel urine biomarker for LN, with potential utility for diagnosis and disease monitoring.https://doi.org/10.1002/acr2.70044
spellingShingle Aygun Teymur
Chenling Tang
Fariz Nazir
Neda Ostadnejad
Qi Cai
Ramesh Saxena
Tianfu Wu
Urinary V‐Set Ig Domain‐Containing Protein 4 and Immune Complexes for Tracking Lupus Nephritis and Renal Pathology
ACR Open Rheumatology
title Urinary V‐Set Ig Domain‐Containing Protein 4 and Immune Complexes for Tracking Lupus Nephritis and Renal Pathology
title_full Urinary V‐Set Ig Domain‐Containing Protein 4 and Immune Complexes for Tracking Lupus Nephritis and Renal Pathology
title_fullStr Urinary V‐Set Ig Domain‐Containing Protein 4 and Immune Complexes for Tracking Lupus Nephritis and Renal Pathology
title_full_unstemmed Urinary V‐Set Ig Domain‐Containing Protein 4 and Immune Complexes for Tracking Lupus Nephritis and Renal Pathology
title_short Urinary V‐Set Ig Domain‐Containing Protein 4 and Immune Complexes for Tracking Lupus Nephritis and Renal Pathology
title_sort urinary v set ig domain containing protein 4 and immune complexes for tracking lupus nephritis and renal pathology
url https://doi.org/10.1002/acr2.70044
work_keys_str_mv AT aygunteymur urinaryvsetigdomaincontainingprotein4andimmunecomplexesfortrackinglupusnephritisandrenalpathology
AT chenlingtang urinaryvsetigdomaincontainingprotein4andimmunecomplexesfortrackinglupusnephritisandrenalpathology
AT fariznazir urinaryvsetigdomaincontainingprotein4andimmunecomplexesfortrackinglupusnephritisandrenalpathology
AT nedaostadnejad urinaryvsetigdomaincontainingprotein4andimmunecomplexesfortrackinglupusnephritisandrenalpathology
AT qicai urinaryvsetigdomaincontainingprotein4andimmunecomplexesfortrackinglupusnephritisandrenalpathology
AT rameshsaxena urinaryvsetigdomaincontainingprotein4andimmunecomplexesfortrackinglupusnephritisandrenalpathology
AT tianfuwu urinaryvsetigdomaincontainingprotein4andimmunecomplexesfortrackinglupusnephritisandrenalpathology