{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,29]],"date-time":"2026-09-29T05:45:59Z","timestamp":1790660759973,"version":"4.1.0"},"reference-count":38,"publisher":"BMJ","issue":"2","content-domain":{"domain":["bmj.com"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["RMD Open"],"accepted":{"date-parts":[[2018,6,19]]},"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2018,7]]},"abstract":"<jats:sec>\n                  <jats:title>Background<\/jats:title>\n                  <jats:p>Ankylosing spondylitis (AS) is a complex chronic inflammatory disease strongly associated with the majority of human leucocyte antigen (HLA)-B27 alleles. HLA-E molecules are non-classical  major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class I molecules that specifically interact with the natural killer receptors NKG2A (inhibitory) and NKG2C (activating), and have been recently proposed to be involved in AS pathogenesis.\u2018\u2019<\/jats:p>\n               <\/jats:sec>\n               <jats:sec>\n                  <jats:title>Objective<\/jats:title>\n                  <jats:p>To analyse the expression of HLA-E and the CD94\/NKG2 pair of receptors in HLA-B27-positive patients with AS and healthy controls (HC) bearing the AS-associated B*2705 and the non-AS-associated B*2709 alleles.<\/jats:p>\n               <\/jats:sec>\n               <jats:sec>\n                  <jats:title>Methods<\/jats:title>\n                  <jats:p>The level of surface expression of HLA-E molecules on CD14+ peripheral blood mononuclear cell was evaluated in 21 HLA-B*2705 patients with AS, 12 HLA-B*2705 HC, 12 HLA-B*2709 HC and 6 HLA-B27-negative HC using the monoclonal antibody MEM-E\/08 by quantitative cytofluorimetric analysis. The percentage and density of expression of HLA-E ligands NKG2A and NKG2C were also measured on CD3\u2212CD56+ NK cells.<\/jats:p>\n               <\/jats:sec>\n               <jats:sec>\n                  <jats:title>Results<\/jats:title>\n                  <jats:p>HLA-E expression in CD14+ cells was significantly higher in patients with AS (587.0, IQR 424\u2013830) compared with B*2705 HC (389, IQR 251.3\u2013440.5; p=0.0007), B*2709 HC (294.5, IQR 209.5\u2013422; p=0.0004) and HLA-B27-negative HC (380, IQR 197.3\u2013515.0; p=0.01). A higher number of NK cells expressing NKG2A compared with NKG2C were found in all cohorts analysed, as well as a higher cell surface density.<\/jats:p>\n               <\/jats:sec>\n               <jats:sec>\n                  <jats:title>Conclusion<\/jats:title>\n                  <jats:p>The higher surface level of HLA-E molecules in patients with AS compared with HC, concurrently with a prevalent expression of NKG2A, suggests that the crosstalk between these two molecules might play a role in AS pathogenesis, accounting for the previously reported association between HLA-E and AS.<\/jats:p>\n               <\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.1136\/rmdopen-2017-000597","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2018,7,13]],"date-time":"2018-07-13T03:57:17Z","timestamp":1531454237000},"page":"e000597","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1136\/crossmarkpolicy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":15,"title":["Expression analysis of HLA-E and NKG2A and NKG2C receptors points at a role for natural killer function in ankylosing spondylitis"],"prefix":"10.1136","volume":"4","author":[{"given":"Alberto","family":"Cauli","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Rheumatology Unit, Department of Medical Sciences and Public Health, University of Cagliari, Cagliari, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Grazia","family":"Dessole","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Rheumatology Unit, Department of Medical Sciences and Public Health, University of Cagliari, Cagliari, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-1126-8315","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Matteo","family":"Piga","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Rheumatology Unit, Department of Medical Sciences and Public Health, University of Cagliari, Cagliari, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Maria 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