Increased serum GP88 (Progranulin) concentrations in rheumatoid arthritis.

2015 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 26670278
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Challenging Exploratory Research
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Research Field: Laboratory medicine
• Research Institution: Fujita Health University (2015); Kyoto University (2014)
• Principal Investigator: SAITO Kuniaki 藤田保健衛生大学, 保健学研究科, 教授 (80262765)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): YAMAMOTO Yasuko 藤田保健衛生大学, 保健学研究科, 准教授 (00331869)
• Project Period (FY): 2014-04-01 – 2016-03-31
• Keywords: プログラニュリン / 関節リウマチ

Outline of Final Research Achievements

GP88 (Progranulin; PGRN) is a secreted glycosylated protein with therapeutic target for rheumatoid arthritis (RA). However, the serum PGRN level in RA patients has not been investigated. We used enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) to quantify the serum levels of PGRN. A significant increase in serum PGRN levels was observed in RA (50.2±11.1 ng/ml) and OA (45.4±6.6 ng/ml) groups compared to those in age-matched healthy controls (40.4±9.9 ng/ml) (P<0.05). Further, PGRN levels in the synovial fluid of RA patients (68.4±3.4ng/ml) were found to be significantly higher than those in OA patients (35.9±16.8ng/ml). Circulating PGRN in RA patients was weakly associated with TNF-α and sTNFR II concentration. Furthermore, PGRN/ TNF-α ratio was correlated the stage of the disease in RA patients. Our results showed that the serum PGRN may be a useful approach to monitor the disease activity in RA patients.

Free Research Field

病態生化学