X-linked agammaglobulinemia (XLA) is characterized by impaired B-cell differentiation caused by mutations in Bruton’s tyrosine kinase (Btk) gen. Btk is expressed in myeloid cells and recent evidence support that it participates in Toll like receptor signaling, but results regarding its rol in XLA patients are contradictories. Objective: To evaluate lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced pro-inflammatory cytokine response in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) from XLA patients.
Methods:
Thirteen patients with XLA were included in the study. PBMC LPS-induced TNF-α, IL-1β, IL-6, and IL-10 production was determined by ELISA and compared with that obtained from matched healthy controls. Cytokine production was correlated with the severity of the mutation, affected domain and clinical characteristics.
Results:
In response to LPS, PBMC from XLA patients produced significantly higher amounts of pro-inflammatory cytokines and IL-10 compared with controls and this production is not influenced by the neither severity of mutation nor the affected domain.
PBMC from patients with a history of more hospital admissions before diagnosis and patients with lower expression of Btk in monocytes produced higher levels of TNF-α and IL-1β, respectively. PBMC from patients with lower IgA levels showed a higher production of TNF-α and IL-1β. Less severe (punctual) mutations in Btk gene were associated with higher IgG levels at diagnosis.
Conclusions:
Our results demonstrated a predominantly inflammatory response in XLA patients after LPS stimuli and suggest a TLR signaling dysregulation in absence of Btk. This response may be influenced by environmental factors.