Increased Expression of TLR10 in B Cell Subsets Correlates with Disease Activity in Rheumatoid Arthritis.

Toll-like receptor (TLR) 10, mainly expressed on B cells, has emerged as a modulatory receptor in inflammation. Nonetheless, the clinical significance of TLR10 in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) remains unclear. In this study, we explored the expression of TLR10 in B cells and B cell subsets in RA subjects and healthy controls (HCs) and determined its relevance to disease activity and inflammatory biomarkers. TLR10 levels in B cells and B cell subsets (CD19CD27, CD19CD27, CD27IgD, CD27IgD, CD27IgD, D27IgD, CD19CD5, and CD19CD5) and inflammatory biomarker concentrations in peripheral blood (PB) obtained from RA subjects and HCs were detected by flow cytometry and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), respectively. The correlations of TLR10 expression with disease activity and inflammatory biomarkers were then analysed. Similar levels of TLR10 in all CD19 B cells were observed in the RA subjects and HCs. Compared to that in the HCs, TLR10 was elevated significantly in the CD19CD27IgD and CD19CD5 subsets in the RA subjects. In addition, almost all subsets expressing TLR10 were increased with disease activity. The present study reveals that enhanced TLR10 in B cell subsets is positively correlated with disease activity in RA subjects.