Mengmeng Xiang,1,* Zhan Sun,1,* Yan Ge,2,* Zhixiong Zhang,3 Chenghui Zheng,1 Zhanyan Gao,1 Jie Wang,1 Jinhua Xu,1 Jun Liang,1 Yilun Wang1 

1Department of Dermatology, Huashan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, People’s Republic of China; 2Department of Neurology, Huashan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, People’s Republic of China; 3Department of Clinical Medicine, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai, People’s Republic of China

*These authors contributed equally to this work

Correspondence: Yilun Wang, Department of Dermatology, Huashan Hospital, Fudan University, No. 12 Middle Wulumuqi Road, Shanghai, 200040, People’s Republic of China, Email wangyilun@fudan.edu.cn Jun Liang, Department of Dermatology, Huashan Hospital, Fudan University, No. 12 Middle Wulumuqi Road, Shanghai, 200040, People’s Republic of China, Email Liangjun1976@medmail.com.cn

Purpose: Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a complex autoimmune disease that seriously endangers human health. Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) have been found to exhibit strong regulatory functions in cell physiology and maturation of dendritic cells (DCs). Hence, this study tried to reveal the underlying roles of one lncRNA, lncTAF15:1– 1, in modulating DC functions and its involvement with CCL5 secretion in SLE pathogenesis.
Methods: The expression levels of lncTAF15:1– 1 were measured using qPCR in cultivated monocyte-derived dendritic cells (moDCs). Flow cytometry, ELISA, and Transwell chamber experiments were performed to assess various biological functions of moDCs. RNA-seq analysis was conducted to investigate transcriptional alterations in cells overexpressing lncTAF15:1– 1 and negative control cells. Gene Set Enrichment Analysis (GSEA) was utilized to predict potentially involved signaling pathways, which were subsequently confirmed by Western Blotting. Rescue experiments were carried out where the expression of lncTAF15:1– 1 and PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway were altered simultaneously.
Results: LncTAF15:1– 1 was significantly upregulated in moDCs from SLE patients, and it exhibited a positive correlation with SLE Disease Activity Index (SLEDAI) scores. Additionally, elevated levels of CCL5 were detected in both plasma and moDC supernatants of SLE patients. Overexpression of lncTAF15:1– 1 stimulated moDCs to secrete higher levels of CCL5, and it enhanced the migration ability of moDCs as well as their capacity to attract CD4+ naïve T cells. GSEA analysis of RNA profiles indicated the potential involvement of the PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway in lncTAF15:1– 1 regulation, which was further validated by Western Blotting. The rescue experiments demonstrated that the effects of lncTAF15:1– 1 on multiple functions of moDCs were attenuated when the PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway was disrupted.
Conclusion: This study elucidated the role of lncTAF15:1– 1 in orchestrating DC migration and the recruitment of CD4+ T cells by enhancing CCL5 secretion through activating PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway, which provides insights into potential molecular targets for SLE diagnosis and treatment.

Keywords: systemic lupus erythematosus, monocyte-derived dendritic cells, CCL5, long non-coding RNA