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Rheumatology Advance Access published online on March 29, 2005
Rheumatology, doi:10.1093/rheumatology/keh625
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© The Author 2005. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the British Society for Rheumatology. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oupjournals.org
Received December 14, 2004
Accepted February 25, 2005

Original Papers

Increased cutaneous T-cell-attracting chemokine levels in sera from patients with systemic sclerosis

I. Hayakawa 1, M. Hasegawa 1*, T. Matsushita 1, K. Yanaba 1, M. Kodera 1, K. Komura 1, K. Takehara 1, and S. Sato 2

1 Department of Dermatology, Kanazawa University Graduate School of Medical Science, Kanazawa, Japan
2 Department of Dermatology, Kanazawa University Graduate School of Medical Science, Kanazawa, Japan; Department of Dermatology, Nagasaki University Graduate School of Biomedical Science, Nagasaki, Japan

* To whom correspondence should be addressed.
M. Hasegawa, E-mail: minoruha{at}derma.m.kanazawa-u.ac.jp


  Abstract

Objective. We sought to assess serum cutaneous T-cell-attracting chemokine (CTACK) levels and CTACK expression levels in skin from patients with systemic sclerosis (SSc), and determine whether serum CTACK levels correlate with clinical features in SSc patients.

Methods. Serum samples were obtained from 73 SSc patients, 32 patients with systemic lupus erythematosus and 26 patients with dermatomyositis. Serum CTACK levels were determined by enzyme-linked immunoabsorbent assay. CTACK mRNA expression in sclerotic skin was assessed by real-time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction.

Results. Serum CTACK levels were significantly increased in patients with diffuse cutaneous SSc (dSSc; n=32) and those with limited cutaneous SSc (lSSc; n=>41) compared with normal controls (n=31; P<0.05 and P<0.0005, respectively). The presence of calcinosis and muscle involvement was more frequently detected in SSc patients with elevated CTACK levels (P<0.05 and P<0.05, respectively). Elevated C-reactive protein levels were also observed more frequently in SSc patients with increased CTACK levels (P<0.05). CTACK mRNA expression levels in the sclerotic skin of SSc patients were augmented. In a longitudinal study, serum CTACK levels were generally decreased during the follow-up.

Conclusions. The increased serum CTACK levels and enhanced skin CTACK expression in SSc patients suggest that CTACK is related to the inflammation associated with SSc.

Keywords: Systemic sclerosis; Cutaneous T cell-attracting chemokine; CTACK.
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