Figure 5.
Aberrant expression of B-lineage transcription factors and abnormal B cell–related cytokines/chemokines in patients with ITP. (A) Patients with ITP had decreased mRNA levels of Pax5 in BMMNCs compared with HCs (0.0049 ± 0.0012 vs 0.0100 ± 0.0017; P = .022). No statistical difference was found in mRNA expression of XBP1 or IRF4 in BMMNCs between patients with ITP and HCs (all P > .05). (B) mRNA levels of Pax5 (0.0017 ± 0.0005 vs 0.0108 ± 0.0016; P < .001), XBP1 (0.0201 ± 0.0033 vs 0.0631 ± 0.0093; P < .001), and IRF4 (0.0037 ± 0.0007 vs 0.0182 ± 0.0037; P < .001) in PBMCs from patients with ITP were much lower compared with HCs. (C, D) Plasma concentrations of BM and PB CXCL13 in patients with ITP were much higher than in HCs (BM: median [range], 94.08 pg/mL [34.46-423.50 pg/mL] vs 55.33 pg/mL [13.31-97.54 pg/mL], P = .003; PB: median [range], 83.21 pg/mL [53.12-291.96 pg/mL] vs 59.27 pg/mL [27.73-116.58 pg/mL], P = .029). (E, F) No difference was found in plasma CXCL13 between BM and PB from the ITP or HC group (all P > .05). (G, H) Plasma levels of BAFF in BM and PB of patients with ITP were higher compared with that in HCs (BM: median [range], 1338.0 pg/mL [989.6-3419.6 pg/mL] vs 1123.0 pg/mL [459.6-1499.6 pg/mL], P = .011; PB: median [range], 1388.0 pg/mL [993.6-3451.6 pg/mL] vs 1022.0 pg/mL [559.6-1255.6 pg/mL], P < .001). (I, J) No divergence was found in BAFF between BM and PB from patients with ITP or HCs (all P > .05). (K, L) Higher plasma concentration of APRIL was observed in BM from patients with ITP than in HCs (median [range], 3.79 ng/mL [1.12-9.34 ng/mL] vs 2.34 ng/mL [1.56-3.79 ng/mL]; P = .005), whereas no difference was found in PB between patients with ITP and HCs (median [range], 1.49 ng/mL [0.47-4.53 ng/mL] vs 1.96 ng/mL [1.42-4.36 ng/mL]; P = .230). (M, N) Plasma APRIL was lower in PB than in BM in patients with ITP (median [range], 3.79 ng/mL [1.12-9.34 ng/mL] vs 1.49 ng/mL [0.47-4.53 ng/mL]; P < .001); no such tendency was found in HCs (median [range], 2.52 ng/mL [1.35-3.18 ng/mL] vs 1.96 ng/mL [1.42-4.53 ng/mL]; P = .770). *P < .05; **P < .01; ***P < .001.