<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8" standalone="no"?>
<!DOCTYPE article PUBLIC "-//NLM//DTD Journal Publishing DTD v2.3 20070202//EN" "journalpublishing.dtd">
<article xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink" xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance" article-type="research-article" dtd-version="2.3" xml:lang="EN">
<front>
<journal-meta>
<journal-id journal-id-type="publisher-id">Front. Immunol.</journal-id>
<journal-title>Frontiers in Immunology</journal-title>
<abbrev-journal-title abbrev-type="pubmed">Front. Immunol.</abbrev-journal-title>
<issn pub-type="epub">1664-3224</issn>
<publisher>
<publisher-name>Frontiers Media S.A.</publisher-name>
</publisher>
</journal-meta>
<article-meta>
<article-id pub-id-type="doi">10.3389/fimmu.2024.1370738</article-id>
<article-categories>
<subj-group subj-group-type="heading">
<subject>Immunology</subject>
<subj-group>
<subject>Original Research</subject>
</subj-group>
</subj-group>
</article-categories>
<title-group>
<article-title>Predicting role of Myc-induced nuclear antigen 53 in determining the development and severity of systemic lupus erythematosus</article-title>
</title-group>
<contrib-group>
<contrib contrib-type="author">
<name>
<surname>Zamani</surname>
<given-names>Batool</given-names>
</name>
<xref ref-type="aff" rid="aff1">
<sup>1</sup>
</xref>
<role content-type="https://credit.niso.org/contributor-roles/funding-acquisition/"/>
<role content-type="https://credit.niso.org/contributor-roles/writing-original-draft/"/>
</contrib>
<contrib contrib-type="author">
<name>
<surname>Dadgostar</surname>
<given-names>Ehsan</given-names>
</name>
<xref ref-type="aff" rid="aff2">
<sup>2</sup>
</xref>
<uri xlink:href="https://loop.frontiersin.org/people/2603485"/>
<role content-type="https://credit.niso.org/contributor-roles/investigation/"/>
<role content-type="https://credit.niso.org/contributor-roles/writing-original-draft/"/>
</contrib>
<contrib contrib-type="author">
<name>
<surname>Akbari</surname>
<given-names>Hossein</given-names>
</name>
<xref ref-type="aff" rid="aff3">
<sup>3</sup>
</xref>
<role content-type="https://credit.niso.org/contributor-roles/formal-analysis/"/>
<role content-type="https://credit.niso.org/contributor-roles/validation/"/>
<role content-type="https://credit.niso.org/contributor-roles/writing-original-draft/"/>
</contrib>
<contrib contrib-type="author" corresp="yes">
<name>
<surname>Motedayyen</surname>
<given-names>Hossein</given-names>
</name>
<xref ref-type="aff" rid="aff1">
<sup>1</sup>
</xref>
<xref ref-type="author-notes" rid="fn001">
<sup>*</sup>
</xref>
<uri xlink:href="https://loop.frontiersin.org/people/2617990"/>
<role content-type="https://credit.niso.org/contributor-roles/methodology/"/>
<role content-type="https://credit.niso.org/contributor-roles/writing-review-editing/"/>
</contrib>
<contrib contrib-type="author" corresp="yes">
<name>
<surname>Nikoueinejad</surname>
<given-names>Hassan</given-names>
</name>
<xref ref-type="aff" rid="aff4">
<sup>4</sup>
</xref>
<xref ref-type="author-notes" rid="fn001">
<sup>*</sup>
</xref>
<uri xlink:href="https://loop.frontiersin.org/people/86726"/>
<role content-type="https://credit.niso.org/contributor-roles/methodology/"/>
<role content-type="https://credit.niso.org/contributor-roles/project-administration/"/>
<role content-type="https://credit.niso.org/contributor-roles/supervision/"/>
<role content-type="https://credit.niso.org/contributor-roles/writing-review-editing/"/>
</contrib>
</contrib-group>
<aff id="aff1">
<sup>1</sup>
<institution>Autoimmune Diseases Research Center, Kashan University of Medical Sciences</institution>, <addr-line>Kashan</addr-line>, <country>Iran</country>
</aff>
<aff id="aff2">
<sup>2</sup>
<institution>Students&#x2019; Research Center, Kashan University of Medical Sciences</institution>, <addr-line>Kashan</addr-line>, <country>Iran</country>
</aff>
<aff id="aff3">
<sup>3</sup>
<institution>Trauma Research Center, Kashan University of Medical Sciences</institution>, <addr-line>Kashan</addr-line>, <country>Iran</country>
</aff>
<aff id="aff4">
<sup>4</sup>
<institution>Nephrology and Urology Research Center, Baqiyatallah University of Medical Sciences</institution>, <addr-line>Tehran</addr-line>, <country>Iran</country>
</aff>
<author-notes>
<fn fn-type="edited-by">
<p>Edited by: Mihaela Adriana Ilie, L&#xe4;nssjukhuset i Kalmar, Sweden</p>
</fn>
<fn fn-type="edited-by">
<p>Reviewed by: Liyan Cui, Peking University Third Hospital, China</p>
<p>Fei Chen, Stony Brook University, United States</p>
</fn>
<fn fn-type="corresp" id="fn001">
<p>*Correspondence: Hossein Motedayyen, <email xlink:href="mailto:hmotedayyen@gmail.com">hmotedayyen@gmail.com</email>; Hassan Nikoueinejad, <email xlink:href="mailto:hnikuinejad@yahoo.com">hnikuinejad@yahoo.com</email>
</p>
</fn>
</author-notes>
<pub-date pub-type="epub">
<day>28</day>
<month>05</month>
<year>2024</year>
</pub-date>
<pub-date pub-type="collection">
<year>2024</year>
</pub-date>
<volume>15</volume>
<elocation-id>1370738</elocation-id>
<history>
<date date-type="received">
<day>15</day>
<month>01</month>
<year>2024</year>
</date>
<date date-type="accepted">
<day>13</day>
<month>05</month>
<year>2024</year>
</date>
</history>
<permissions>
<copyright-statement>Copyright &#xa9; 2024 Zamani, Dadgostar, Akbari, Motedayyen and Nikoueinejad</copyright-statement>
<copyright-year>2024</copyright-year>
<copyright-holder>Zamani, Dadgostar, Akbari, Motedayyen and Nikoueinejad</copyright-holder>
<license xlink:href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/">
<p>This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) and the copyright owner(s) are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.</p>
</license>
</permissions>
<abstract>
<sec>
<title>Introduction</title>
<p>Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) as an autoimmune disease can relate to an imbalance between regulatory T cells (Tregs) and Th17 cells. Previous reports have shown that Myc-induced nuclear antigen (Mina) 53 protein is involved in the developments of Tregs and Th17 cells. Therefore, the current study focused on determining whether Mina53 level is correlated to the severity of SLE.</p>
</sec>
<sec>
<title>Methods</title>
<p>The blood samples were collected from 60 patients with SLE (30 cases with mild SLE and 30 cases with severe SLE) and 30 healthy subjects. The serum concentration of Mina53 was measured using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The expression of Mina53 gene was assessed using real-time PCR method after extracting RNA from isolated peripheral blood mononuclear cells and synthesizing cDNA.</p>
</sec>
<sec>
<title>Results</title>
<p>Patients with SLE showed significant increases in the serum level and gene expression of Mina53 compared to healthy subjects (P&lt;0.001). Furthermore, serum level and gene expression of Mina53 showed significant effects on SLE disease and its severity (P&lt;0.01). There was the highest sensitivity and maximum specificity in the cut-off point of Mina53 serum level equal to 125.4 (area under the curve (AUC)=0.951) and Mina53 expression level equal to 8.5 (AUC=0.88) for SLE diagnosis. The cut-off point of Mina53 serum level equal to 139.5 (AUC=0.854) and the cut-off point of Mina53 expression level equal to 8.5 (AUC=0.788) had the highest sensitivity and maximum specificity determining severe forms of SLE.</p>
</sec>
<sec>
<title>Discussion</title>
<p>Our results showed that the changes in serum and expression levels of Mina53 have significant effects on SLE disease and its severity. These levels may be considered as diagnostic and predictive markers for SLE.</p>
</sec>
</abstract>
<kwd-group>
<kwd>systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE)</kwd>
<kwd>disease severity</kwd>
<kwd>Myc-induced nuclear antigen (Mina) 53</kwd>
<kwd>Th17 cells</kwd>
<kwd>regulatory T cells (Tregs)</kwd>
</kwd-group>
<contract-sponsor id="cn001">Kashan University of Medical Sciences<named-content content-type="fundref-id">10.13039/501100004048</named-content>
</contract-sponsor>
<counts>
<fig-count count="5"/>
<table-count count="4"/>
<equation-count count="1"/>
<ref-count count="39"/>
<page-count count="9"/>
<word-count count="4022"/>
</counts>
<custom-meta-wrap>
<custom-meta>
<meta-name>section-in-acceptance</meta-name>
<meta-value>Autoimmune and Autoinflammatory Disorders : Autoimmune Disorders</meta-value>
</custom-meta>
</custom-meta-wrap>
</article-meta>
</front>
<body>
<sec id="s1" sec-type="intro">
<title>Introduction</title>
<p>Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a chronic autoimmune disease caused by a variety of hormonal, environmental, and genetic factors (<xref ref-type="bibr" rid="B1">1</xref>&#x2013;<xref ref-type="bibr" rid="B3">3</xref>). Its global prevalence is estimated to be 43.7 (15.87 to 108.92) per 100,000 individuals. The value in women was 78.73 (28.61 to 196.33) per 100,000 people, while the estimate in men was 9.26 (3.36 to 22.97) per 100,000 persons (<xref ref-type="bibr" rid="B4">4</xref>, <xref ref-type="bibr" rid="B5">5</xref>). It is characterized by the presence of different autoantibodies, mainly anti-nuclear antibodies (ANAs), which may participate in its wide range of clinical symptoms and complications (<xref ref-type="bibr" rid="B6">6</xref>) such as nephritis (<xref ref-type="bibr" rid="B7">7</xref>), optic neuromyelitis (<xref ref-type="bibr" rid="B8">8</xref>), pericarditis (<xref ref-type="bibr" rid="B9">9</xref>), atherosclerosis (<xref ref-type="bibr" rid="B10">10</xref>), and cardiovascular complications in which the latter leads to death (<xref ref-type="bibr" rid="B11">11</xref>).</p>
<p>Myc-induced nuclear antigen (Mina) 53 gene, known as mineral dust-induced gene (Mdig) and ribosomal oxygenase 2 (RIOX2), is a Jumonji C (JmjC) domain-containing 2-oxoglutarate (2OG)-dependent oxygenase localizing to the nucleolus. It modifies ribosomal proteins through hydroxylation of amino acids (<xref ref-type="bibr" rid="B12">12</xref>). Mina53 is transcriptionally stimulated by the c-myc oncoprotein, which is mostly known as a proto-oncogene playing some regulatory roles in the cell growth of several solid and hematological cancers (<xref ref-type="bibr" rid="B13">13</xref>&#x2013;<xref ref-type="bibr" rid="B21">21</xref>). These physio-pathologic roles are not restricted to cancers. There are few studies pointing to the increased expression of Mina53 in some allergic and autoimmune reactions (<xref ref-type="bibr" rid="B22">22</xref>, <xref ref-type="bibr" rid="B23">23</xref>). Mina53, as a transcriptional co-repressor of the interleukin-4 (IL-4) encoding gene (<xref ref-type="bibr" rid="B23">23</xref>), shifts immune responses toward T helper 2 (Th2) cells, which play fundamental roles in atopic pulmonary inflammation and parasitic worm expulsion (<xref ref-type="bibr" rid="B24">24</xref>). The role of Mina53 in the pathogenesis of autoimmunity may be due to its positive effects on inflammatory responses of Th17 cells (<xref ref-type="bibr" rid="B25">25</xref>).</p>
<p>Immune imbalance has a pivotal role in the development of diseases with immune pathophysiology (<xref ref-type="bibr" rid="B26">26</xref>, <xref ref-type="bibr" rid="B27">27</xref>). The imbalance between Th17 cells and regulatory T cells (Tregs) may contribute to the pathogenesis and development of SLE. Patients with SLE have an increased number of Th17 cells and enhanced production of IL-17, which are related to disease severity (<xref ref-type="bibr" rid="B28">28</xref>, <xref ref-type="bibr" rid="B29">29</xref>). It is shown that Mina53 induces IL-17 expression and reduces Foxp3 expression as the main transcription factor for the development and function of Tregs (<xref ref-type="bibr" rid="B30">30</xref>). Having considered that Mina53 affects the expression of gene(s) involved in the pathogenesis of SLE and thereby participates in various autoimmunity and allergic reactions, the current study investigated whether changes in the serum and expression values of Mina53 may serve as biomarkers in predicting SLE development and determining its severity.</p>
</sec>
<sec id="s2" sec-type="materials|methods">
<title>Materials and methods</title>
<sec id="s2_1">
<title>Study populations</title>
<p>The study population consisted of 60 patients with SLE (30 cases with mild and 30 subjects with severe forms of the disease) and 30 healthy subjects. The diagnosis of SLE was confirmed by an internal medicine specialist using systemic lupus international collaborating clinics classification criteria (<xref ref-type="bibr" rid="B31">31</xref>). Patients were interviewed by the specialist, and the disease activity index (DAI) was collected using a questionnaire according to the SLEDAI-2K (30-day) guideline, as previously described (<xref ref-type="bibr" rid="B1">1</xref>). According to the questionnaire, scores between 6&#x2013;12 and more than 12 were considered mild and severe forms of the disease, respectively.</p>
<p>Inclusion criteria were the absence of health problems, malignancy, and other disorders affecting the immune system in patients with SLE. Exclusion criteria included the use of immunosuppressive agents and the presence of health problems and other abnormalities influencing immune responses in healthy volunteers.</p>
<p>The study was approved by the Ethics Committee of Kashan University of Medical Sciences (IR.KAUMS.REC.1394.123) and conducted in accordance with the Declaration of Helsinki. Informed consent was obtained from the participants before entering the study. According to the SD values mentioned in other studies (<xref ref-type="bibr" rid="B13">13</xref>, <xref ref-type="bibr" rid="B32">32</xref>), sample sizes were calculated using the following statistical formula:</p>
<disp-formula>
<mml:math display="block" id="M1">
<mml:mrow>
<mml:mi>n</mml:mi>
<mml:mo>=</mml:mo>
<mml:mfrac>
<mml:mrow>
<mml:msup>
<mml:mrow>
<mml:mrow>
<mml:mo stretchy="false">(</mml:mo>
<mml:mrow>
<mml:mi>Z</mml:mi>
<mml:mi>&#x3b1;</mml:mi>
<mml:mo>+</mml:mo>
<mml:mi>Z</mml:mi>
<mml:mi>&#x3b2;</mml:mi>
</mml:mrow>
<mml:mo stretchy="false">)</mml:mo>
</mml:mrow>
</mml:mrow>
<mml:mn>2</mml:mn>
</mml:msup>
<mml:mo>&#xd7;</mml:mo>
<mml:mrow>
<mml:mo stretchy="false">(</mml:mo>
<mml:mrow>
<mml:mi>S</mml:mi>
<mml:msup>
<mml:mn>1</mml:mn>
<mml:mn>2</mml:mn>
</mml:msup>
<mml:mo>+</mml:mo>
<mml:mi>S</mml:mi>
<mml:msup>
<mml:mn>2</mml:mn>
<mml:mn>2</mml:mn>
</mml:msup>
</mml:mrow>
<mml:mo stretchy="false">)</mml:mo>
</mml:mrow>
</mml:mrow>
<mml:mrow>
<mml:msup>
<mml:mrow>
<mml:mrow>
<mml:mo stretchy="false">(</mml:mo>
<mml:mrow>
<mml:mi>m</mml:mi>
<mml:mn>1</mml:mn>
<mml:mo>&#x2212;</mml:mo>
<mml:mi>m</mml:mi>
<mml:mn>2</mml:mn>
</mml:mrow>
<mml:mo stretchy="false">)</mml:mo>
</mml:mrow>
</mml:mrow>
<mml:mn>2</mml:mn>
</mml:msup>
</mml:mrow>
</mml:mfrac>
<mml:mo>,</mml:mo>
</mml:mrow>
</mml:math>
</disp-formula>
<list list-type="simple">
<list-item>
<p>&#x3b1; (study accuracy) = 95%,</p>
</list-item>
<list-item>
<p>&#x3b2; (study power) = 80%,</p>
</list-item>
<list-item>
<p>S1 = 1.3,</p>
</list-item>
<list-item>
<p>Z&#x3b1; = 1.96,</p>
</list-item>
<list-item>
<p>Z&#x3b2; = 0.83.</p>
</list-item>
</list>
<p>The mean difference between groups 1 and 2 was (m1 &#x2212; m2) = 0.95.</p>
</sec>
<sec id="s2_2">
<title>RNA extraction, reverse transcription, and quantitative polymerase chain reaction</title>
<p>For Mina53 expression analysis, total RNAs were isolated from peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) using a High Pure RNA Isolation Kit following the manufacturer&#x2019;s instructions (Roche Applied Science, Penzberg, Germany). RNA yield was determined, and the purity was assessed using a spectrophotometer (NanoDrop 8000 spectrophotometer, Thermo Scientific, Waltham, MA, USA). Complementary deoxyribonucleic acid (cDNA) synthesis was performed using a Transcriptor First Strand cDNA Synthesis Kit according to the manufacturer&#x2019;s protocol (Roche Applied Science). TaqMan-based real-time PCR assay was carried out using an ABI7700 machine (Applied Biosystems, Foster City, CA, USA) and the TaqMan Universal PCR Master Mix (PerkinElmer, Waltham, MA, USA) according to the manufacturer&#x2019;s instructions. Each reaction was initiated at 95&#xb0;C for 30 seconds, followed by 40 cycles of 95&#xb0;C for 5 seconds and 60&#xb0;C for 30 seconds. All analyses were performed in duplicate.</p>
<p>Threshold cycle (Ct) and melting curve were automatically generated by the Applied Biosystems software. The expression level of glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH) was used as an endogenous control to normalize the expression level of each sample. The cycling parameters for GAPDH were the same as those used for Mina53. The comparative &#x394;Ct method was used to measure the quantitative expression level of the Mina53 gene. Primer sequences are shown in <xref ref-type="table" rid="T1">
<bold>Table&#xa0;1</bold>
</xref>.</p>
<table-wrap id="T1" position="float">
<label>Table&#xa0;1</label>
<caption>
<p>Primer sequences for amplification of Mina53 and GAPDH mRNAs in TaqMan-based real-time PCR.</p>
</caption>
<table frame="hsides">
<thead>
<tr>
<th valign="top" align="left">Genes</th>
<th valign="top" align="left">Forward primer (5&#x2032;&#x2013;3&#x2032;)</th>
<th valign="top" align="left">Reverse primer (5&#x2032;&#x2013;3&#x2032;)</th>
</tr>
</thead>
<tbody>
<tr>
<td valign="top" align="left">
<bold>Mina53</bold>
</td>
<td valign="top" align="left">GGG ACA CAA CAT TGG GTA TCA TCA</td>
<td valign="top" align="left">AAC ATG GGC AAT TCA GGC AGA</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td valign="top" align="left">
<bold>GAPDH</bold>
</td>
<td valign="top" align="left">GTG AAG GTC GGA GTC AAC G</td>
<td valign="top" align="left">TGA GGT CAA TGA AGG GGT C</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<table-wrap-foot>
<fn>
<p>Mina53, Myc-induced nuclear antigen 53; GAPDH, glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase.</p>
</fn>
</table-wrap-foot>
</table-wrap>
</sec>
<sec id="s2_3">
<title>The assessments of Mina53 and other laboratory parameters</title>
<p>The serum concentrations of Mina53, complement C3 and C4, anti-double stranded DNA (anti-dsDNA) antibody, ANA, and total hemolytic complement activity (CH50) were assessed in the whole blood (5 mL) from the participants using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) kits (MyBioSource, San Diego, CA, USA) according to the manufacturer&#x2019;s instructions. Briefly, 50 &#xb5;L of the serum was added to the wells of a micro-ELISA plate, and the samples were incubated at 37&#xb0;C. After a 30-minute incubation, the liquid was removed from each well. The wells were washed five times with a washing solution. To each well, 100 &#xb5;L of biotinylated detection antibody was added, followed by incubation for another 30 minutes at 37&#xb0;C. The wells were washed several times with washing solution. Afterward, 100 &#xb5;L of horseradish peroxidase conjugate working solution was added. The samples were incubated at 37&#xb0;C for 30 minutes. Substrate solution (100 &#xb5;L) was added, and samples were kept for 15&#x2013;20 minutes at room temperature in the dark. Then, the stopper solution (50 &#xb5;L) was added to each well, and absorbance was read at 450 nm using a spectrophotometer (Vira Teb Tajhiz, Tehran, Iran).</p>
</sec>
<sec id="s2_4">
<title>Statistical analysis</title>
<p>Data analysis was carried out using the SPSS program (v. 20; SPSS, Chicago, IL, USA). The results are represented as mean &#xb1; standard deviation (SD). The D&#x2019;Agostino&#x2013;Pearson test was used to evaluate the normal distribution of the data. According to the non-normal distribution of the data, the groups were compared using the Mann&#x2013;Whitney U and Kruskal&#x2013;Wallis tests. Spearman&#x2019;s test was used to determine correlation coefficients of the data with non-normal distribution. Multiple binary logistic regression models were used for multivariate analysis. The correlations were evaluated using Fisher&#x2019;s exact and chi-square tests. Using the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) area under the curve (AUC), an attempt was made to determine the specificity, sensitivity, positive predictive value (PPV), and negative predictive value (NPV) of Mina53 in the diagnosis of SLE and its severity. A p-value less than 0.05 was considered the minimum level of statistical significance.</p>
</sec>
</sec>
<sec id="s3" sec-type="results">
<title>Results</title>
<p>Sixty SLE subjects and 30 healthy subjects were enrolled in the study (<xref ref-type="table" rid="T2">
<bold>Table&#xa0;2</bold>
</xref>). There was no significant difference in duration of disease and history of previous treatment between patients with mild and severe SLE (<xref ref-type="table" rid="T2">
<bold>Table&#xa0;2</bold>
</xref>). The clinical, laboratory, and demographic characteristics of all participants are summarized in <xref ref-type="table" rid="T2">
<bold>Table&#xa0;2</bold>
</xref>.</p>
<table-wrap id="T2" position="float">
<label>Table&#xa0;2</label>
<caption>
<p>Demographic, clinical, and laboratory characteristics of all participants of the study.</p>
</caption>
<table frame="hsides">
<thead>
<tr>
<th valign="top" colspan="2" align="left"/>
<th valign="top" align="left">Healthy control</th>
<th valign="middle" align="left">Mild SLE</th>
<th valign="middle" align="left">Severe SLE</th>
<th valign="middle" align="left">p-Value</th>
</tr>
</thead>
<tbody>
<tr>
<td valign="middle" colspan="2" align="left">
<bold>Age (years)</bold>
</td>
<td valign="middle" align="center">35.97 &#xb1; 9.9</td>
<td valign="middle" align="left">35.87 &#xb1; 9.88</td>
<td valign="middle" align="left">34.5 &#xb1; 10.37</td>
<td valign="middle" align="left">0.812</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td valign="top" colspan="2" align="left">
<bold>Duration of disease (years)</bold>
</td>
<td valign="top" align="center">&#x2013;</td>
<td valign="top" align="left">4.2 &#xb1; 1.51&#x2003;</td>
<td valign="top" align="left">4.26 &#xb1; 1.57</td>
<td valign="top" align="left">0.868</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td valign="top" rowspan="2" align="left">
<bold>Gender</bold>
</td>
<td valign="top" align="left">
<bold>Male (%)</bold>
</td>
<td valign="top" align="left">14 (46.7%)</td>
<td valign="top" align="left">10 (33.3%)</td>
<td valign="top" align="left">8 (26.7%)</td>
<td valign="top" rowspan="2" align="left">0.257</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td valign="top" align="left">
<bold>Female (%)</bold>
</td>
<td valign="top" align="left">16 (53.3%)</td>
<td valign="top" align="left">20 (66.7%)</td>
<td valign="top" align="left">22 (73.3%)</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td valign="top" colspan="2" align="left">
<bold>Previous treatment</bold>
</td>
<td valign="top" align="left">&#x2013;</td>
<td valign="top" align="left">22 (73.3%)</td>
<td valign="top" align="left">24 (80%)</td>
<td valign="middle" align="center">0.542</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td valign="top" colspan="2" align="left">
<bold>Response to treatment</bold>
</td>
<td valign="top" align="left">&#x2013;</td>
<td valign="top" align="left">Partial response: 4 (13.2%)<break/>Good response: 26 (86.8%)</td>
<td valign="top" align="left">Partial response: 18 (60.4%)<break/>Good response: 12 (39.6%)</td>
<td valign="middle" align="center">&lt;0.001</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td valign="top" colspan="2" align="left">
<bold>Disease activity</bold>
</td>
<td valign="top" align="left">&#x2013;</td>
<td valign="top" align="left">7.36 &#xb1; 0.88</td>
<td valign="top" align="left">17.7 &#xb1; 2.35</td>
<td valign="middle" align="left">&lt;0.0001</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td valign="top" colspan="2" align="left">
<bold>Clinical characteristics</bold>
</td>
<td valign="top" align="left">&#x2013;</td>
<td valign="top" align="left">Lupus arthritis: 30 (100%)<break/>Malar rash: 6 (19.8%)<break/>Thrombocytopenia: 3 (9.9%)<break/>Raynaud&#x2019;s phenomenon: 1 (3.3%)<break/>Mouth ulcers: 12 (39.6%)<break/>Photosensitivity: 18 (60.4%)<break/>Leukopenia: 4 (13.2%)<break/>Renal involvement: 3 (9.9%)<break/>Abortion: 1 (3.3%)<break/>Hemolytic anemia: 1 (3.3%)<break/>Lymphadenopathy: 1 (3.3%)<break/>Skin lesions: 1 (3.3%)<break/>Pleurisy: 1 (3.3%)</td>
<td valign="top" align="left">Lupus arthritis: 30 (100%)<break/>Malar rash: 12 (39.6%)<break/>Thrombocytopenia: 6 (19.8%)<break/>Pericarditis: 1 (3.3%)<break/>Vasculitis: 3 (9.9%)<break/>Raynaud&#x2019;s phenomenon: 2 (6.6%)<break/>Mouth ulcers: 15 (50%)<break/>Photosensitivity: 13<break/>Leukopenia: 6 (19.8%)<break/>Renal involvement: 4 (13.2%)<break/>Autoimmune hepatitis: 1 (3.3%)<break/>Abortion: 6 (19.8%)<break/>Brain stroke: 3 (9.9%)<break/>Hemolytic anemia: 4 (13.2%)<break/>Lymphadenopathy: 1 (3.3%)<break/>Hair loss: 2 (6.6%)<break/>Skin lesions: 3 (9.9%)</td>
<td valign="top" align="left">&#x2013;</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td valign="top" colspan="2" align="left">
<bold>Mina53 serum levels</bold>
</td>
<td valign="top" align="left">89.3 &#xb1; 35.5</td>
<td valign="top" align="left">174.1 &#xb1; 51.9</td>
<td valign="top" align="left">216.4 &#xb1; 48.4</td>
<td valign="middle" align="left">&lt;0.001</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td valign="top" colspan="2" align="left">
<bold>Mina53 gene expression</bold>
</td>
<td valign="top" align="left">6.9 &#xb1; 2.04</td>
<td valign="top" align="left">9.63 &#xb1; 1.73</td>
<td valign="top" align="left">10.77 &#xb1; 2.01</td>
<td valign="top" align="left">&lt;0.001</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td valign="top" colspan="2" align="left">
<bold>Anti-dsDNA (IU/mL)</bold>
</td>
<td valign="top" align="left">15 &#xb1; 13</td>
<td valign="top" align="left">24.63 &#xb1; 26.65</td>
<td valign="top" align="left">190.5 &#xb1; 28.75</td>
<td valign="top" align="left">&lt; 0.0001</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td valign="top" colspan="2" align="left">
<bold>Complement C3 (mg/dL)</bold>
</td>
<td valign="top" align="left">90 &#xb1; 16</td>
<td valign="top" align="left">108.2 &#xb1; 24.66</td>
<td valign="top" align="left">85.53 &#xb1; 33.23</td>
<td valign="top" align="left">&lt; 0.01</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td valign="top" colspan="2" align="left">
<bold>Complement C4 (mg/dL)</bold>
</td>
<td valign="top" align="left">29 &#xb1; 23</td>
<td valign="top" align="left">18.67 &#xb1; 8.92</td>
<td valign="top" align="left">12.65 &#xb1; 8.13</td>
<td valign="top" align="left">&lt; 0.01</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td valign="top" colspan="2" align="left">
<bold>CH50</bold>
</td>
<td valign="top" align="left">130 &#xb1; 25</td>
<td valign="top" align="left">96.27 &#xb1; 24.66</td>
<td valign="top" align="left">101.4 &#xb1; 113</td>
<td valign="top" align="left">0.1</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<table-wrap-foot>
<fn>
<p>SLE, systemic lupus erythematosus; Mina53, Myc-induced nuclear antigen 53.</p>
</fn>
</table-wrap-foot>
</table-wrap>
<sec id="s3_1">
<title>The expression and serum levels of Mina53 in patients with SLE</title>
<p>The results of the current study revealed that SLE patients had a significant increase in Mina53 serum and gene expression levels compared to healthy subjects (p&lt; 0.001, <xref ref-type="table" rid="T2">
<bold>Table&#xa0;2</bold>
</xref>, <xref ref-type="fig" rid="f1">
<bold>Figures&#xa0;1A, B</bold>
</xref>). Patients with severe SLE showed higher serum and expression levels of Mina53 than patients with mild SLE (p&lt; 0.05, <xref ref-type="fig" rid="f1">
<bold>Figures&#xa0;1A, B</bold>
</xref>).</p>
<fig id="f1" position="float">
<label>Figure&#xa0;1</label>
<caption>
<p>Gene expression and serum concentration of Mina53 protein. <bold>(A)</bold> The expression level of Mina53 in PBMCs from patients with mild SLE (n = 30) and severe SLE (n = 30) and healthy subjects (n = 30) was measured using TaqMan-based real-time PCR. <bold>(B)</bold> The serum level of Mina53 in patients with mild SLE (n = 30) and severe SLE (n = 30) and healthy subjects (n = 30) was measured using ELISA. Data are shown as mean &#xb1; SD. <sup>*</sup>p&lt; 0.05, <sup>***</sup>p&lt; 0.001. Mina53, Myc-induced nuclear antigen 53; PBMCs, peripheral blood mononuclear cells; SLE, systemic lupus erythematosus.</p>
</caption>
<graphic mimetype="image" mime-subtype="tiff" xlink:href="fimmu-15-1370738-g001.tif"/>
</fig>
</sec>
<sec id="s3_2">
<title>The association of Mina53 protein with SLE severity</title>
<p>Although there were weak correlations between the expression and serum levels of Mina53 and severity of SLE (r = 0.07 and r = 0.06), these relationships were statistically significant (p&lt; 0.05, <xref ref-type="fig" rid="f2">
<bold>Figures&#xa0;2A, B</bold>
</xref>).</p>
<fig id="f2" position="float">
<label>Figure&#xa0;2</label>
<caption>
<p>The relationship of SLE severity with gene expression and serum concentration of Mina53. <bold>(A, B)</bold> Statistical tests revealed that the expression and serum levels of Mina53 were significantly correlated to SLE severity. SLE, systemic lupus erythematosus; Mina53, Myc-induced nuclear antigen 53.</p>
</caption>
<graphic mimetype="image" mime-subtype="tiff" xlink:href="fimmu-15-1370738-g002.tif"/>
</fig>
<p>The logistic regression models showed that the serum and expression levels of Mina53, unlike age and sex, affected the occurrence of SLE (p&lt; 0.01, Model. 1, <xref ref-type="table" rid="T3">
<bold>Table&#xa0;3</bold>
</xref>). Furthermore, it was shown that Mina53 serum and gene expression levels, unlike age and sex, are effective factors in SLE severity (p&lt; 0.001, Model 2, <xref ref-type="table" rid="T3">
<bold>Table&#xa0;3</bold>
</xref>).</p>
<table-wrap id="T3" position="float">
<label>Table&#xa0;3</label>
<caption>
<p>Predictor variables of SLE disease and its severity in multiple binary logistic regression models.</p>
</caption>
<table frame="hsides">
<thead>
<tr>
<th valign="top" align="center">Models</th>
<th valign="top" align="center">Outcomes</th>
<th valign="top" align="center">Variables</th>
<th valign="top" align="center">B<sup>1</sup>
</th>
<th valign="top" align="center">SE<sup>2</sup>
</th>
<th valign="top" align="center">Sig.<sup>3</sup>
</th>
<th valign="top" align="center">Exp (B)<sup>4</sup>
</th>
</tr>
</thead>
<tbody>
<tr>
<td valign="top" rowspan="5" align="center">
<bold>1</bold>
</td>
<td valign="top" rowspan="5" align="center">
<bold>SLE disease</bold>
</td>
<td valign="top" align="center">
<bold>Mina53 gene expression</bold>
</td>
<td valign="top" align="right">1.488</td>
<td valign="top" align="right">0.527</td>
<td valign="top" align="right">0.005</td>
<td valign="top" align="right">4.426</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td valign="top" align="center">
<bold>Mina53 serum level</bold>
</td>
<td valign="top" align="right">0.057</td>
<td valign="top" align="right">0.016</td>
<td valign="top" align="right">&lt;0.001</td>
<td valign="top" align="right">1.059</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td valign="top" align="center">
<bold>Sex</bold>
</td>
<td valign="top" align="right">0.102</td>
<td valign="top" align="right">1.01</td>
<td valign="top" align="right">0.92</td>
<td valign="top" align="right">1.107</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td valign="top" align="center">
<bold>Age</bold>
</td>
<td valign="top" align="right">&#x2212;0.089</td>
<td valign="top" align="right">0.069</td>
<td valign="top" align="right">0.197</td>
<td valign="top" align="right">0.915</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td valign="top" align="center">
<bold>Constant</bold>
</td>
<td valign="top" align="right">&#x2212;16.73</td>
<td valign="top" align="right">5.39</td>
<td valign="top" align="right">0.002</td>
<td valign="top" align="right">0.000</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td valign="top" rowspan="5" align="center">
<bold>2</bold>
</td>
<td valign="top" rowspan="5" align="center">
<bold>Severe SLE</bold>
</td>
<td valign="top" align="center">
<bold>Mina53 gene expression</bold>
</td>
<td valign="top" align="right">0.496</td>
<td valign="top" align="right">0.178</td>
<td valign="top" align="right">0.005</td>
<td valign="top" align="right">1.643</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td valign="top" align="center">
<bold>Mina53 serum level</bold>
</td>
<td valign="top" align="right">0.024</td>
<td valign="top" align="right">0.006</td>
<td valign="top" align="right">&lt;0.001</td>
<td valign="top" align="right">1.024</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td valign="top" align="center">
<bold>Sex</bold>
</td>
<td valign="top" align="right">0.456</td>
<td valign="top" align="right">0.698</td>
<td valign="top" align="right">0.513</td>
<td valign="top" align="right">1.578</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td valign="top" align="center">
<bold>Age</bold>
</td>
<td valign="top" align="right">&#x2212;0.011</td>
<td valign="top" align="right">0.029</td>
<td valign="top" align="right">0.709</td>
<td valign="top" align="right">0.989</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td valign="top" align="center">
<bold>Constant</bold>
</td>
<td valign="top" align="right">&#x2212;9.43</td>
<td valign="top" align="right">2.68</td>
<td valign="top" align="right">&lt;0.001</td>
<td valign="top" align="right">0.000</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<table-wrap-foot>
<fn>
<p>SLE, systemic lupus erythematosus; Mina53, Myc-induced nuclear antigen 53.</p>
</fn>
<fn>
<p>
<sup>1</sup> Coefficient model.</p>
</fn>
<fn>
<p>
<sup>2</sup> Standard error of B.</p>
</fn>
<fn>
<p>
<sup>3</sup> Significant level (p-value).</p>
</fn>
<fn>
<p>
<sup>4</sup> Adjusted odds ratio.</p>
</fn>
</table-wrap-foot>
</table-wrap>
</sec>
<sec id="s3_3">
<title>The relationships of Mina53 serum and expression gene levels with laboratory parameters and demographic information</title>
<p>Spearman&#x2019;s test revealed that Mina53 serum level was positively correlated to anti-dsDNA antibody (p&lt; 0.05, r = 0.2, <xref ref-type="fig" rid="f3">
<bold>Figure&#xa0;3A</bold>
</xref>). However, there was a negative association between Mina53 value and complement C4 concentration (p&lt; 0.05, r = &#x2212;0.2, <xref ref-type="fig" rid="f3">
<bold>Figure&#xa0;3B</bold>
</xref>). No significant correlation was observed between Mina53 protein level and other laboratory parameters used for SLE diagnosis, such as complement C3, ANA, and CH50 values. Furthermore, Mina53 serum and expression gene levels were not associated with the age and sex of patients with mild and severe SLE.</p>
<fig id="f3" position="float">
<label>Figure&#xa0;3</label>
<caption>
<p>The association of Mina53 value with laboratory factors. <bold>(A)</bold> Mina53 serum level was positively correlated to anti-dsDNA antibody. <bold>(B)</bold> There was a significant negative association between Mina53 value and complement C4 concentration. Mina53, Myc-induced nuclear antigen 53.</p>
</caption>
<graphic mimetype="image" mime-subtype="tiff" xlink:href="fimmu-15-1370738-g003.tif"/>
</fig>
</sec>
<sec id="s3_4">
<title>Predicting role of Mina53 in determining SLE development and its severity</title>
<p>Using ROC AUC, an attempt was made to determine the sensitivity and specificity of Mina53 serum level and its gene expression as diagnostic markers for SLE and its severity. As diagnostic markers for SLE, the highest sensitivity (95%) and maximum specificity (83.3%) were found in the cut-off point of Mina53 serum level equal to 125.4 (AUC = 0.951), while the highest sensitivity (80%) and maximum specificity (76.7%) were observed in the cut-off point of Mina53 expression level equal to 8.5 (AUC = 0.88, <xref ref-type="table" rid="T4">
<bold>Table&#xa0;4</bold>
</xref>, <xref ref-type="fig" rid="f4">
<bold>Figure&#xa0;4</bold>
</xref>). As diagnostic markers for severe form of SLE, the highest sensitivity (93.3%) and maximum specificity (60%) were found in the cut-off point of Mina53 serum level equal to 139.5 (AUC = 0.854, <xref ref-type="table" rid="T4">
<bold>Table&#xa0;4</bold>
</xref>, <xref ref-type="fig" rid="f5">
<bold>Figure&#xa0;5</bold>
</xref>). The highest sensitivity (90%) and maximum specificity (53.5%) were found in the cut-off point of Mina53 expression level equal to 8.5 (AUC = 0.788, <xref ref-type="table" rid="T4">
<bold>Table&#xa0;4</bold>
</xref>, <xref ref-type="fig" rid="f5">
<bold>Figure&#xa0;5</bold>
</xref>). In contrast, the highest sensitivity (100%) and maximum specificity (80%) were observed in the cut-off point of anti-dsDNA antibody level equal to 28.5 (AUC = 0.940, <xref ref-type="table" rid="T4">
<bold>Table&#xa0;4</bold>
</xref>, <xref ref-type="fig" rid="f5">
<bold>Figure&#xa0;5</bold>
</xref>).</p>
<table-wrap id="T4" position="float">
<label>Table&#xa0;4</label>
<caption>
<p>Sensitivity, specificity, and predicting values of Mina53 and anti-dsDNA antibody in SLE diagnosis.</p>
</caption>
<table frame="hsides">
<thead>
<tr>
<th valign="top" align="center">Outcomes</th>
<th valign="top" align="center">Parameters</th>
<th valign="top" align="center">Cut-off point</th>
<th valign="top" align="center">AUC</th>
<th valign="top" align="center">Sensitivity</th>
<th valign="top" align="center">Specificity</th>
<th valign="top" align="center">PPV</th>
<th valign="top" align="center">NPV</th>
</tr>
</thead>
<tbody>
<tr>
<td valign="top" rowspan="2" align="center">
<bold>Mild and severe SLE</bold>
</td>
<td valign="top" align="center">
<bold>Mina53 serum level</bold>
</td>
<td valign="top" align="center">125.4</td>
<td valign="top" align="center">0.951</td>
<td valign="top" align="center">0.95</td>
<td valign="top" align="center">83.3</td>
<td valign="top" align="center">91.9</td>
<td valign="top" align="center">89.3</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td valign="top" align="center">
<bold>Mina53 gene expression</bold>
</td>
<td valign="top" align="center">8.5</td>
<td valign="top" align="center">0.88</td>
<td valign="top" align="center">0.8</td>
<td valign="top" align="center">76.7</td>
<td valign="top" align="center">87.3</td>
<td valign="top" align="center">65.7</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td valign="top" rowspan="3" align="center">
<bold>Severe SLE</bold>
</td>
<td valign="top" align="center">
<bold>Mina53 serum level</bold>
</td>
<td valign="top" align="center">139.5</td>
<td valign="top" align="center">0.854</td>
<td valign="top" align="center">93.3</td>
<td valign="top" align="center">60</td>
<td valign="top" align="center">53.8</td>
<td valign="top" align="center">94.7</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td valign="top" align="center">
<bold>Mina53 gene expression</bold>
</td>
<td valign="top" align="center">8.5</td>
<td valign="top" align="center">0.788</td>
<td valign="top" align="center">0.9</td>
<td valign="top" align="center">53.3</td>
<td valign="top" align="center">49.1</td>
<td valign="top" align="center">91.4</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td valign="top" align="center">
<bold>Anti-dsDNA antibody</bold>
</td>
<td valign="top" align="center">28.5</td>
<td valign="top" align="center">0.940</td>
<td valign="top" align="center">100</td>
<td valign="top" align="center">80</td>
<td valign="top" align="center">83.3</td>
<td valign="top" align="center">100</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<table-wrap-foot>
<fn>
<p>Mina53, Myc-induced nuclear antigen 53; SLE, systemic lupus erythematosus; AUC, area under the curve; PPV, positive predictive value; NPV, negative predictive value.</p>
</fn>
</table-wrap-foot>
</table-wrap>
<fig id="f4" position="float">
<label>Figure&#xa0;4</label>
<caption>
<p>Sensitivity and specificity of serum and expression levels of Mina53 in SLE diagnosis. Mina53, Myc-induced nuclear antigen 53; SLE, systemic lupus erythematosus.</p>
</caption>
<graphic mimetype="image" mime-subtype="tiff" xlink:href="fimmu-15-1370738-g004.tif"/>
</fig>
<fig id="f5" position="float">
<label>Figure&#xa0;5</label>
<caption>
<p>Sensitivity and specificity of serum and expression levels of Mina53 in determining disease severity. Mina53, Myc-induced nuclear antigen 53.</p>
</caption>
<graphic mimetype="image" mime-subtype="tiff" xlink:href="fimmu-15-1370738-g005.tif"/>
</fig>
</sec>
</sec>
<sec id="s4" sec-type="discussion">
<title>Discussion</title>
<p>Mina53 has a fundamental role in altering the balance between Th17 cells and Tregs, which can participate in the pathogenesis of inflammatory diseases (<xref ref-type="bibr" rid="B30">30</xref>). Having considered that immune imbalance is largely related to the development of SLE (<xref ref-type="bibr" rid="B3">3</xref>), the expression and serum levels of Mina53 as an important regulator of inflammation were assessed in SLE patients with various levels of severity.</p>
<p>The results of this study revealed that patients with SLE had a significant increase in the serum level of Mina53 compared to healthy subjects, which was accompanied by the enhanced gene expression of this protein. After adjusting the effects of confounding factors such as age and sex, our data indicated that the expression and serum levels of Mina53 were significantly higher in patients with severe SLE than in patients with mild SLE. In our knowledge, these findings, for the first time, provide evidence to indicate that Mina53 serum and gene expression levels were significantly associated with SLE severity. In line with the possible roles of Mina53 in the development and severity of disease, previous studies have reported that SLE patients possess an increased frequency in Th17 cells, which is significantly associated with disease activity and severity (<xref ref-type="bibr" rid="B9">9</xref>, <xref ref-type="bibr" rid="B10">10</xref>). Other studies have shown that an immune imbalance in SLE subjects participates in symptom exacerbation through shifting immune response from Tregs to Th17 cells (<xref ref-type="bibr" rid="B29">29</xref>, <xref ref-type="bibr" rid="B30">30</xref>, <xref ref-type="bibr" rid="B33">33</xref>). In this regard, SLE patients showed a dual role for Mina53 in increasing the expression of cytokines and transcription factors of Th17 cells and reducing the expression of Foxp3 as a main transcription factor of Tregs (<xref ref-type="bibr" rid="B30">30</xref>). Others have indicated that Mina53 induces the infiltrations and functions of Th17 cells and macrophages and inhibits the suppressive effects of Tregs (<xref ref-type="bibr" rid="B30">30</xref>, <xref ref-type="bibr" rid="B34">34</xref>). Animal studies have shown that genetic deficiency of Mina53 impairs the expression of cytokines and transcription factors of Th17 cells and enhances the expression of Foxp3 of Tregs. Similar studies on diseases with immunopathology have demonstrated that ablation of Mina53 provides a protective impact on silica-induced lung fibrosis, which is associated with impaired Th17 and elevated Treg infiltration in the lung (<xref ref-type="bibr" rid="B30">30</xref>). Moreover, several studies have shown that genetic changes related to over-expression of Mina53 may enhance the risk of the development of asthma (<xref ref-type="bibr" rid="B35">35</xref>). In addition to the roles of Mina53 in the development of autoimmunity, there are several studies pointing to its impacts on oncogenesis (<xref ref-type="bibr" rid="B36">36</xref>). Mina53 has a well-known role in lung cancer, which may correlate to its effects on the chronic inflammatory response, cell differentiation, and DNA repair (<xref ref-type="bibr" rid="B36">36</xref>). Furthermore, it is shown that the increased expression of Mina53 may play a fundamental role in the development of human pancreatic cancer (<xref ref-type="bibr" rid="B32">32</xref>).</p>
<p>A series of papers have confirmed that Mina53 is involved in DNA replication and DNA damage response. Mina53 participates in regulating DNA replication and its stability through physical interaction with several DNA replication proteins (<xref ref-type="bibr" rid="B37">37</xref>). Therefore, aberrant DNA repair could be an important underlying mechanism of autoimmunity such as SLE (<xref ref-type="bibr" rid="B38">38</xref>). Along with these observations, our findings propose that Mina53 may be a main regulator in the occurrence of SLE and its severity.</p>
<p>In the next step, the correlation of Mina53 with SLE development, disease severity, demographic characteristics, and laboratory parameters used for disease detection were evaluated. Statistical analyses revealed that the expression and serum levels of Mina53 had significant correlations with the severity of SLE, although these relationships were statistically weak (r = 0.07 and r = 0.06) due perhaps to low sample size. Additionally, the logistic regression models showed that the serum and gene expression levels of Mina53, unlike age and sex, are effective factors in the occurrence and severity of SLE. Other results of the current study indicated that the serum concentration and gene expression of Mina53 were not influenced by the age and gender of patients with mild and severe SLE, which is consistent with the results of a study conducted on Mina53 expression in patients with pancreatic cancer (<xref ref-type="bibr" rid="B32">32</xref>). Tan et&#xa0;al. reported that the expression of Mina53 was not associated with demographic characteristics, such as sex and age, of patients suffering from pancreatic cancer (<xref ref-type="bibr" rid="B32">32</xref>). In an attempt to determine the relationship of Mina53 with laboratory parameters, we observed that Mina53 protein level was positively correlated to anti-dsDNA antibody. In contrast, a significant negative association was observed between the Mina53 value and complement C4 concentration. Having considered that the increased level of anti-dsDNA antibody and reduced value of complement C4 are largely related to the pathogenesis and severity of SLE (<xref ref-type="bibr" rid="B39">39</xref>), our findings provide further confirmation regarding the association between Mina53 and the development and severity of SLE.</p>
<p>To confirm the predicting roles of expression and serum levels of Mina53 in the development and severity of SLE, ROC AUC was used to determine the specificity and sensitivity of Mina53 in SLE diagnosis and its severity. The results indicated that the cut-off point of Mina53 serum level equal to 125.4 (AUC = 0.951) and the cut-off point of Mina53 expression level equal to 8.5 (AUC = 0.88) had the highest specificity and maximum sensitivity for SLE diagnosis. However, the cut-off point of Mina53 serum level was equal to 139.5 (AUC = 0.854) and the cut-off point of Mina53 expression level was equal to 8.5, showing the highest specificity and maximum for determining SLE severity. Although Mina53 serum and gene expression levels have lower diagnostic efficiency than anti-dsDNA antibody value (AUC = 0940 versus AUC = 0.854 and 0.788) in SLE severity, the findings of the current study suggest that Mina53 serum level, unlike its expression level, has higher efficiency for diagnosing SLE disease than anti-dsDNA antibody value (AUC = 0951 versus AUC = 0940). Nonetheless, the current study has some&#xa0;limitations including I) the lack of suitable functional assays, which provide supplementary information on the immunologic mechanisms of Mina53 in SLE, and II) the absence of experiments studying epigenetic and environmental factors that make some changes in the expression and production of Mina53 protein. Therefore, it is recommended that further studies be carried out to clarify the possible effects of environmental and epigenetic variables on Mina53.</p>
</sec>
<sec id="s5" sec-type="conclusions">
<title>Conclusion</title>
<p>The results of the present study for the first time provide evidence to indicate that the changes of serum and expression levels of Mina53 may significantly affect the development of SLE and its severity, which are independent of sex and age. These values may be used as a diagnostic marker for SLE development and its severity. However, it should be noted that further studies with larger sample sizes are required to confirm the results of this study.</p>
</sec>
<sec id="s6" sec-type="data-availability">
<title>Data availability statement</title>
<p>The original contributions presented in the study are included in the article/supplementary material. Further inquiries can be directed to the corresponding authors.</p>
</sec>
<sec id="s7" sec-type="ethics-statement">
<title>Ethics statement</title>
<p>The studies involving humans were approved by The Ethics&#xa0;Committee of Kashan University of Medical Sciences (IR.KAUMS.REC.1394.123). The studies were conducted in accordance with the local legislation and institutional requirements. Written informed consent for participation was not required from the participants or the participants&#x2019; legal guardians/next of kin because Informed consent was taken before taking part in the study.</p>
</sec>
<sec id="s8" sec-type="author-contributions">
<title>Author contributions</title>
<p>BZ: Funding acquisition, Writing &#x2013; original draft. ED: Investigation, Writing &#x2013; original draft. HA: Formal Analysis, Validation, Writing &#x2013; original draft. HN: Methodology, Project administration, Supervision, Writing &#x2013; review &amp; editing. HM: Methodology, Writing &#x2013; review &amp; editing.</p>
</sec>
</body>
<back>
<sec id="s9" sec-type="funding-information">
<title>Funding</title>
<p>The author(s) declare that financial support was received for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article. This work was supported by grants from the Deputy of Research, Kashan University of Medical Sciences (Grant No. 94122).</p>
</sec>
<ack>
<title>Acknowledgments</title>
<p>The authors would like to thank all subjects who participated in the study.</p>
</ack>
<sec id="s10" sec-type="COI-statement">
<title>Conflict of interest</title>
<p>The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.</p>
</sec>
<sec id="s11" sec-type="disclaimer">
<title>Publisher&#x2019;s note</title>
<p>All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors&#xa0;and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article, or claim that may be made by its manufacturer, is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.</p>
</sec>
<ref-list>
<title>References</title>
<ref id="B1">
<label>1</label>
<citation citation-type="journal">
<person-group person-group-type="author">
<name>
<surname>Karimifar</surname> <given-names>M</given-names>
</name>
<name>
<surname>Akbari</surname> <given-names>K</given-names>
</name>
<name>
<surname>ArefNezhad</surname> <given-names>R</given-names>
</name>
<name>
<surname>Fathi</surname> <given-names>F</given-names>
</name>
<name>
<surname>Mousaei Ghasroldasht</surname> <given-names>M</given-names>
</name>
<name>
<surname>Motedayyen</surname> <given-names>H</given-names>
</name>
</person-group>. <article-title>Impacts of Fc&#x3b3;RIIB and Fc&#x3b3;RIIIA gene polymorphisms on systemic lupus erythematous disease activity index</article-title>. <source>BMC Res Notes</source>. (<year>2021</year>) <volume>14</volume>:<fpage>1</fpage>&#x2013;<lpage>7</lpage>. doi:&#xa0;<pub-id pub-id-type="doi">10.1186/s13104-021-05868-2</pub-id>
</citation>
</ref>
<ref id="B2">
<label>2</label>
<citation citation-type="journal">
<person-group person-group-type="author">
<name>
<surname>Fathi</surname> <given-names>F</given-names>
</name>
<name>
<surname>Sadeghi</surname> <given-names>E</given-names>
</name>
<name>
<surname>Lotfi</surname> <given-names>N</given-names>
</name>
<name>
<surname>Hafezi</surname> <given-names>H</given-names>
</name>
<name>
<surname>Ahmadi</surname> <given-names>M</given-names>
</name>
<name>
<surname>Mozafarpoor</surname> <given-names>S</given-names>
</name>
<etal/>
</person-group>. <article-title>Effects of the programmed cell death 1 (PDCD1) polymorphisms in susceptibility to systemic lupus erythematosus</article-title>. <source>Int J immunogenetics</source>. (<year>2020</year>) <volume>47</volume>:<fpage>57</fpage>&#x2013;<lpage>64</lpage>. doi:&#xa0;<pub-id pub-id-type="doi">10.1111/iji.12456</pub-id>
</citation>
</ref>
<ref id="B3">
<label>3</label>
<citation citation-type="journal">
<person-group person-group-type="author">
<name>
<surname>Fathi</surname> <given-names>F</given-names>
</name>
<name>
<surname>Atapour</surname> <given-names>A</given-names>
</name>
<name>
<surname>Eskandari</surname> <given-names>N</given-names>
</name>
<name>
<surname>Keyhanmehr</surname> <given-names>N</given-names>
</name>
<name>
<surname>Hafezi</surname> <given-names>H</given-names>
</name>
<name>
<surname>Mohammadi</surname> <given-names>S</given-names>
</name>
<etal/>
</person-group>. <article-title>Regulatory T-cells and their impacts on cytokine profile of end-stage renal disease patients suffering from systemic lupus erythematosus</article-title>. <source>Int J immunopathology Pharmacol</source>. (<year>2019</year>) <volume>33</volume>:<fpage>2058738419863238</fpage>. doi:&#xa0;<pub-id pub-id-type="doi">10.1177/2058738419863238</pub-id>
</citation>
</ref>
<ref id="B4">
<label>4</label>
<citation citation-type="journal">
<person-group person-group-type="author">
<name>
<surname>Tian</surname> <given-names>J</given-names>
</name>
<name>
<surname>Zhang</surname> <given-names>D</given-names>
</name>
<name>
<surname>Yao</surname> <given-names>X</given-names>
</name>
<name>
<surname>Huang</surname> <given-names>Y</given-names>
</name>
<name>
<surname>Lu</surname> <given-names>Q</given-names>
</name>
</person-group>. <article-title>Global epidemiology of systemic lupus erythematosus: a comprehensive systematic analysis and modelling study</article-title>. <source>Ann Rheumatic Diseases</source>. (<year>2023</year>) <volume>82</volume>:<page-range>351&#x2013;6</page-range>. doi:&#xa0;<pub-id pub-id-type="doi">10.1136/ard-2022-223035</pub-id>
</citation>
</ref>
<ref id="B5">
<label>5</label>
<citation citation-type="journal">
<person-group person-group-type="author">
<name>
<surname>Abdelazim</surname> <given-names>A</given-names>
</name>
</person-group>. <article-title>A structured classification and evaluation of current and future treatments for systemic lupus Erythematosus: Hochschule Rhein-Waal</article-title>. <source>Front Oncol</source>. (<year>2023</year>) <volume>8</volume>:<page-range>1&#x2013;33</page-range>. doi:&#xa0;<pub-id pub-id-type="doi">10.3389/fonc.2018.00152</pub-id>
</citation>
</ref>
<ref id="B6">
<label>6</label>
<citation citation-type="journal">
<person-group person-group-type="author">
<name>
<surname>Wilbe</surname> <given-names>M</given-names>
</name>
<name>
<surname>Kozyrev</surname> <given-names>SV</given-names>
</name>
<name>
<surname>Farias</surname> <given-names>FH</given-names>
</name>
<name>
<surname>Bremer</surname> <given-names>HD</given-names>
</name>
<name>
<surname>Hedlund</surname> <given-names>A</given-names>
</name>
<name>
<surname>Pielberg</surname> <given-names>GR</given-names>
</name>
<etal/>
</person-group>. <article-title>Multiple changes of gene expression and function reveal genomic and phenotypic complexity in SLE-like disease</article-title>. <source>PLoS Genet</source>. (<year>2015</year>) <volume>11</volume>:<elocation-id>e1005248</elocation-id>. doi:&#xa0;<pub-id pub-id-type="doi">10.1371/journal.pgen.1005248</pub-id>
</citation>
</ref>
<ref id="B7">
<label>7</label>
<citation citation-type="journal">
<person-group person-group-type="author">
<name>
<surname>Frieri</surname> <given-names>M</given-names>
</name>
<name>
<surname>Heuser</surname> <given-names>W</given-names>
</name>
<name>
<surname>Bliss</surname> <given-names>J</given-names>
</name>
</person-group>. <article-title>Efficacy of novel monoclonal antibody belimumab in the treatment of lupus nephritis</article-title>. <source>J Pharmacol Pharmacotherapeutics</source>. (<year>2015</year>) <volume>6</volume>:<page-range>71&#x2013;6</page-range>. doi:&#xa0;<pub-id pub-id-type="doi">10.4103/0976-500X.155482</pub-id>
</citation>
</ref>
<ref id="B8">
<label>8</label>
<citation citation-type="book">
<person-group person-group-type="editor">
<name>
<surname>Bhattacharyya</surname> <given-names>S</given-names>
</name>
<name>
<surname>Helfgott</surname> <given-names>SM</given-names>
</name>
</person-group> eds. <article-title>Neurologic complications of systemic lupus erythematosus, sj&#xf6;gren syndrome, and rheumatoid arthritis</article-title>. <source>Semin Neurol.</source> (<year>2014</year>) <volume>34</volume>:<page-range>425&#x2013;36</page-range>.</citation>
</ref>
<ref id="B9">
<label>9</label>
<citation citation-type="journal">
<person-group person-group-type="author">
<name>
<surname>Buppajamrntham</surname> <given-names>T</given-names>
</name>
<name>
<surname>Palavutitotai</surname> <given-names>N</given-names>
</name>
<name>
<surname>Katchamart</surname> <given-names>W</given-names>
</name>
</person-group>. <article-title>Clinical manifestation, diagnosis, management, and treatment outcome of pericarditis in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus</article-title>. <source>J Med Assoc Thai</source>. (<year>2014</year>) <volume>97</volume>:<page-range>1234&#x2013;40</page-range>.</citation>
</ref>
<ref id="B10">
<label>10</label>
<citation citation-type="journal">
<person-group person-group-type="author">
<name>
<surname>Ding</surname> <given-names>F</given-names>
</name>
<name>
<surname>Ye</surname> <given-names>Y</given-names>
</name>
<name>
<surname>Li</surname> <given-names>M</given-names>
</name>
<name>
<surname>Wang</surname> <given-names>Q</given-names>
</name>
<name>
<surname>Xu</surname> <given-names>D</given-names>
</name>
<name>
<surname>Zeng</surname> <given-names>X</given-names>
</name>
<etal/>
</person-group>. <article-title>Incidence and associated risk factors of arterial stiffness in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus</article-title>. <source>Zhonghua xin xue Guan Bing za zhi</source>. (<year>2015</year>) <volume>43</volume>:<fpage>56</fpage>&#x2013;<lpage>61</lpage>.</citation>
</ref>
<ref id="B11">
<label>11</label>
<citation citation-type="journal">
<person-group person-group-type="author">
<name>
<surname>Lin</surname> <given-names>K</given-names>
</name>
<name>
<surname>Lloyd-Jones</surname> <given-names>DM</given-names>
</name>
<name>
<surname>Li</surname> <given-names>D</given-names>
</name>
<name>
<surname>Liu</surname> <given-names>Y</given-names>
</name>
<name>
<surname>Yang</surname> <given-names>J</given-names>
</name>
<name>
<surname>Markl</surname> <given-names>M</given-names>
</name>
<etal/>
</person-group>. <article-title>Imaging of cardiovascular complications in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus</article-title>. <source>Lupus</source>. (<year>2015</year>) <volume>24</volume>:<page-range>1126&#x2013;34</page-range>. doi:&#xa0;<pub-id pub-id-type="doi">10.1177/0961203315588577</pub-id>
</citation>
</ref>
<ref id="B12">
<label>12</label>
<citation citation-type="journal">
<person-group person-group-type="author">
<name>
<surname>Br&#xe4;uer</surname> <given-names>KE</given-names>
</name>
<name>
<surname>Brockers</surname> <given-names>K</given-names>
</name>
<name>
<surname>Moneer</surname> <given-names>J</given-names>
</name>
<name>
<surname>Feuchtinger</surname> <given-names>A</given-names>
</name>
<name>
<surname>Wollscheid-Lengeling</surname> <given-names>E</given-names>
</name>
<name>
<surname>Lengeling</surname> <given-names>A</given-names>
</name>
<etal/>
</person-group>. <article-title>Phylogenetic and genomic analyses of the ribosomal oxygenases Riox1 (No66) and Riox2 (Mina53) provide new insights into their evolution</article-title>. <source>BMC evolutionary Biol</source>. (<year>2018</year>) <volume>18</volume>:<fpage>1</fpage>&#x2013;<lpage>16</lpage>. doi:&#xa0;<pub-id pub-id-type="doi">10.1186/s12862-018-1215-0</pub-id>
</citation>
</ref>
<ref id="B13">
<label>13</label>
<citation citation-type="journal">
<person-group person-group-type="author">
<name>
<surname>Zhang</surname> <given-names>Q</given-names>
</name>
<name>
<surname>Hu</surname> <given-names>C</given-names>
</name>
<name>
<surname>Yuan</surname> <given-names>Y</given-names>
</name>
<name>
<surname>He</surname> <given-names>C</given-names>
</name>
<name>
<surname>Zhao</surname> <given-names>Q</given-names>
</name>
<name>
<surname>Liu</surname> <given-names>N</given-names>
</name>
</person-group>. <article-title>Expression of Mina53 and its significance in gastric carcinoma</article-title>. <source>Int J Biol markers</source>. (<year>2008</year>) <volume>23</volume>:<page-range>83&#x2013;8</page-range>. doi:&#xa0;<pub-id pub-id-type="doi">10.1177/172460080802300204</pub-id>
</citation>
</ref>
<ref id="B14">
<label>14</label>
<citation citation-type="journal">
<person-group person-group-type="author">
<name>
<surname>Ogasawara</surname> <given-names>S</given-names>
</name>
<name>
<surname>Komuta</surname> <given-names>M</given-names>
</name>
<name>
<surname>Nakashima</surname> <given-names>O</given-names>
</name>
<name>
<surname>Akiba</surname> <given-names>J</given-names>
</name>
<name>
<surname>Tsuneoka</surname> <given-names>M</given-names>
</name>
<name>
<surname>Yano</surname> <given-names>H</given-names>
</name>
</person-group>. <article-title>Accelerated expression of a Myc target gene Mina53 in aggressive hepatocellular carcinoma</article-title>. <source>Hepatol Res</source>. (<year>2010</year>) <volume>40</volume>:<page-range>330&#x2013;6</page-range>. doi:&#xa0;<pub-id pub-id-type="doi">10.1111/j.1872-034X.2009.00604.x</pub-id>
</citation>
</ref>
<ref id="B15">
<label>15</label>
<citation citation-type="journal">
<person-group person-group-type="author">
<name>
<surname>Komiya</surname> <given-names>K</given-names>
</name>
<name>
<surname>Sueoka-Aragane</surname> <given-names>N</given-names>
</name>
<name>
<surname>Sato</surname> <given-names>A</given-names>
</name>
<name>
<surname>Hisatomi</surname> <given-names>T</given-names>
</name>
<name>
<surname>Sakuragi</surname> <given-names>T</given-names>
</name>
<name>
<surname>Mitsuoka</surname> <given-names>M</given-names>
</name>
<etal/>
</person-group>. <article-title>Mina53, a novel c-Myc target gene, is frequently expressed in lung cancers and exerts oncogenic property in NIH/3T3 cells</article-title>. <source>J Cancer Res Clin Oncol</source>. (<year>2010</year>) <volume>136</volume>:<page-range>465&#x2013;73</page-range>. doi:&#xa0;<pub-id pub-id-type="doi">10.1007/s00432-009-0679-0</pub-id>
</citation>
</ref>
<ref id="B16">
<label>16</label>
<citation citation-type="journal">
<person-group person-group-type="author">
<name>
<surname>Teye</surname> <given-names>K</given-names>
</name>
<name>
<surname>Arima</surname> <given-names>N</given-names>
</name>
<name>
<surname>Nakamura</surname> <given-names>Y</given-names>
</name>
<name>
<surname>Sakamoto</surname> <given-names>K</given-names>
</name>
<name>
<surname>Sueoka</surname> <given-names>E</given-names>
</name>
<name>
<surname>Kimura</surname> <given-names>H</given-names>
</name>
<etal/>
</person-group>. <article-title>Expression of Myc target gene mina53 in subtypes of human lymphoma</article-title>. <source>Oncol Rep</source>. (<year>2007</year>) <volume>18</volume>:<page-range>841&#x2013;8</page-range>. doi:&#xa0;<pub-id pub-id-type="doi">10.3892/or</pub-id>
</citation>
</ref>
<ref id="B17">
<label>17</label>
<citation citation-type="journal">
<person-group person-group-type="author">
<name>
<surname>Tan</surname> <given-names>X-P</given-names>
</name>
<name>
<surname>Zhang</surname> <given-names>Q</given-names>
</name>
<name>
<surname>Dong</surname> <given-names>W-G</given-names>
</name>
<name>
<surname>Lei</surname> <given-names>X-W</given-names>
</name>
<name>
<surname>Yang</surname> <given-names>Z-R</given-names>
</name>
</person-group>. <article-title>Upregulated expression of Mina53 in cholangiocarcinoma and its clinical significance</article-title>. <source>Oncol letters</source>. (<year>2012</year>) <volume>3</volume>:<page-range>1037&#x2013;41</page-range>. doi:&#xa0;<pub-id pub-id-type="doi">10.3892/ol.2012.620</pub-id>
</citation>
</ref>
<ref id="B18">
<label>18</label>
<citation citation-type="journal">
<person-group person-group-type="author">
<name>
<surname>Fukahori</surname> <given-names>S</given-names>
</name>
<name>
<surname>Yano</surname> <given-names>H</given-names>
</name>
<name>
<surname>Tsuneoka</surname> <given-names>M</given-names>
</name>
<name>
<surname>Tanaka</surname> <given-names>Y</given-names>
</name>
<name>
<surname>Yagi</surname> <given-names>M</given-names>
</name>
<name>
<surname>Kuwano</surname> <given-names>M</given-names>
</name>
<etal/>
</person-group>. <article-title>Immunohistochemical expressions of Cap43 and Mina53 proteins in neuroblastoma</article-title>. <source>J Pediatr surg</source>. (<year>2007</year>) <volume>42</volume>:<page-range>1831&#x2013;40</page-range>. doi:&#xa0;<pub-id pub-id-type="doi">10.1016/j.jpedsurg.2007.07.008</pub-id>
</citation>
</ref>
<ref id="B19">
<label>19</label>
<citation citation-type="journal">
<person-group person-group-type="author">
<name>
<surname>Ishizaki</surname> <given-names>H</given-names>
</name>
<name>
<surname>Yano</surname> <given-names>H</given-names>
</name>
<name>
<surname>Tsuneoka</surname> <given-names>M</given-names>
</name>
<name>
<surname>Ogasawara</surname> <given-names>S</given-names>
</name>
<name>
<surname>Akiba</surname> <given-names>J</given-names>
</name>
<name>
<surname>Nishida</surname> <given-names>N</given-names>
</name>
<etal/>
</person-group>. <article-title>Overexpression of the myc target gene Mina53 in advanced renal cell carcinoma</article-title>. <source>Pathol Int</source>. (<year>2007</year>) <volume>57</volume>:<page-range>672&#x2013;80</page-range>. doi:&#xa0;<pub-id pub-id-type="doi">10.1111/j.1440-1827.2007.02156.x</pub-id>
</citation>
</ref>
<ref id="B20">
<label>20</label>
<citation citation-type="journal">
<person-group person-group-type="author">
<name>
<surname>Tsuneoka</surname> <given-names>M</given-names>
</name>
<name>
<surname>Fujita</surname> <given-names>H</given-names>
</name>
<name>
<surname>Arima</surname> <given-names>N</given-names>
</name>
<name>
<surname>Teye</surname> <given-names>K</given-names>
</name>
<name>
<surname>Okamura</surname> <given-names>T</given-names>
</name>
<name>
<surname>Inutsuka</surname> <given-names>H</given-names>
</name>
<etal/>
</person-group>. <article-title>Mina53 as a potential prognostic factor for esophageal squamous cell carcinoma</article-title>. <source>Clin Cancer Res</source>. (<year>2004</year>) <volume>10</volume>:<page-range>7347&#x2013;56</page-range>. doi:&#xa0;<pub-id pub-id-type="doi">10.1158/1078-0432.CCR-03-0543</pub-id>
</citation>
</ref>
<ref id="B21">
<label>21</label>
<citation citation-type="journal">
<person-group person-group-type="author">
<name>
<surname>Xing</surname> <given-names>J</given-names>
</name>
<name>
<surname>Wang</surname> <given-names>K</given-names>
</name>
<name>
<surname>Liu</surname> <given-names>P-W</given-names>
</name>
<name>
<surname>Miao</surname> <given-names>Q</given-names>
</name>
<name>
<surname>Chen</surname> <given-names>X-Y</given-names>
</name>
</person-group>. <article-title>Mina53, a novel molecular marker for the diagnosis and prognosis of gastric adenocarcinoma</article-title>. <source>Oncol Rep</source>. (<year>2014</year>) <volume>31</volume>:<page-range>634&#x2013;40</page-range>. doi:&#xa0;<pub-id pub-id-type="doi">10.3892/or.2013.2918</pub-id>
</citation>
</ref>
<ref id="B22">
<label>22</label>
<citation citation-type="journal">
<person-group person-group-type="author">
<name>
<surname>Mori</surname> <given-names>T</given-names>
</name>
<name>
<surname>Okamoto</surname> <given-names>K</given-names>
</name>
<name>
<surname>Tanaka</surname> <given-names>Y</given-names>
</name>
<name>
<surname>Teye</surname> <given-names>K</given-names>
</name>
<name>
<surname>Umata</surname> <given-names>T</given-names>
</name>
<name>
<surname>Ohneda</surname> <given-names>K</given-names>
</name>
<etal/>
</person-group>. <article-title>Ablation of Mina53 in mice reduces allergic response in the airways</article-title>. <source>Cell structure Funct</source>. (<year>2013</year>) <volume>38</volume>:<page-range>155&#x2013;67</page-range>. doi:&#xa0;<pub-id pub-id-type="doi">10.1247/csf.13006</pub-id>
</citation>
</ref>
<ref id="B23">
<label>23</label>
<citation citation-type="journal">
<person-group person-group-type="author">
<name>
<surname>Okamoto</surname> <given-names>M</given-names>
</name>
<name>
<surname>Van Stry</surname> <given-names>M</given-names>
</name>
<name>
<surname>Chung</surname> <given-names>L</given-names>
</name>
<name>
<surname>Koyanagi</surname> <given-names>M</given-names>
</name>
<name>
<surname>Sun</surname> <given-names>X</given-names>
</name>
<name>
<surname>Suzuki</surname> <given-names>Y</given-names>
</name>
<etal/>
</person-group>. <article-title>Mina, an Il4 repressor, controls T helper type 2 bias</article-title>. <source>Nat Immunol</source>. (<year>2009</year>) <volume>10</volume>:<page-range>872&#x2013;9</page-range>. doi:&#xa0;<pub-id pub-id-type="doi">10.1038/ni.1747</pub-id>
</citation>
</ref>
<ref id="B24">
<label>24</label>
<citation citation-type="journal">
<person-group person-group-type="author">
<name>
<surname>Pillai</surname> <given-names>MR</given-names>
</name>
<name>
<surname>Lian</surname> <given-names>S</given-names>
</name>
<name>
<surname>Bix</surname> <given-names>M</given-names>
</name>
</person-group>. <article-title>Mina: a Th2 response regulator meets TGF&#x3b2;</article-title>. <source>Curr Opin Immunol</source>. (<year>2014</year>) <volume>31</volume>:<fpage>38</fpage>&#x2013;<lpage>43</lpage>. doi:&#xa0;<pub-id pub-id-type="doi">10.1016/j.coi.2014.09.005</pub-id>
</citation>
</ref>
<ref id="B25">
<label>25</label>
<citation citation-type="journal">
<person-group person-group-type="author">
<name>
<surname>Yosef</surname> <given-names>N</given-names>
</name>
<name>
<surname>Shalek</surname> <given-names>AK</given-names>
</name>
<name>
<surname>Gaublomme</surname> <given-names>JT</given-names>
</name>
<name>
<surname>Jin</surname> <given-names>H</given-names>
</name>
<name>
<surname>Lee</surname> <given-names>Y</given-names>
</name>
<name>
<surname>Awasthi</surname> <given-names>A</given-names>
</name>
<etal/>
</person-group>. <article-title>Dynamic regulatory network controlling TH17 cell differentiation</article-title>. <source>Nature</source>. (<year>2013</year>) <volume>496</volume>:<page-range>461&#x2013;8</page-range>. doi:&#xa0;<pub-id pub-id-type="doi">10.1038/nature11981</pub-id>
</citation>
</ref>
<ref id="B26">
<label>26</label>
<citation citation-type="journal">
<person-group person-group-type="author">
<name>
<surname>Motedayyen</surname> <given-names>H</given-names>
</name>
<name>
<surname>Zarnani</surname> <given-names>A-H</given-names>
</name>
<name>
<surname>Tajik</surname> <given-names>N</given-names>
</name>
<name>
<surname>Ghotloo</surname> <given-names>S</given-names>
</name>
<name>
<surname>Rezaei</surname> <given-names>A</given-names>
</name>
</person-group>. <article-title>Immunomodulatory effects of human amniotic epithelial cells on naive CD4+ T cells from women with unexplained recurrent spontaneous abortion</article-title>. <source>Placenta</source>. (<year>2018</year>) <volume>71</volume>:<fpage>31</fpage>&#x2013;<lpage>40</lpage>. doi:&#xa0;<pub-id pub-id-type="doi">10.1016/j.placenta.2018.06.008</pub-id>
</citation>
</ref>
<ref id="B27">
<label>27</label>
<citation citation-type="journal">
<person-group person-group-type="author">
<name>
<surname>Motedayyen</surname> <given-names>H</given-names>
</name>
<name>
<surname>Rezaei</surname> <given-names>A</given-names>
</name>
<name>
<surname>Zarnani</surname> <given-names>A-H</given-names>
</name>
<name>
<surname>Tajik</surname> <given-names>N</given-names>
</name>
</person-group>. <article-title>Human amniotic epithelial cells inhibit activation and pro-inflammatory cytokines production of naive CD4+ T cells from women with unexplained recurrent spontaneous abortion</article-title>. <source>Reprod Biol</source>. (<year>2018</year>) <volume>18</volume>:<page-range>182&#x2013;8</page-range>. doi:&#xa0;<pub-id pub-id-type="doi">10.1016/j.repbio.2018.04.002</pub-id>
</citation>
</ref>
<ref id="B28">
<label>28</label>
<citation citation-type="journal">
<person-group person-group-type="author">
<name>
<surname>Biswas</surname> <given-names>PS</given-names>
</name>
<name>
<surname>Aggarwal</surname> <given-names>R</given-names>
</name>
<name>
<surname>Levesque</surname> <given-names>MC</given-names>
</name>
<name>
<surname>Maers</surname> <given-names>K</given-names>
</name>
<name>
<surname>Ramani</surname> <given-names>K</given-names>
</name>
</person-group>. <article-title>Type I interferon and T helper 17 cells co-exist and co-regulate disease pathogenesis in lupus patients</article-title>. <source>Int J rheumatic diseases</source>. (<year>2015</year>) <volume>18</volume>:<page-range>646&#x2013;53</page-range>. doi:&#xa0;<pub-id pub-id-type="doi">10.1111/apl.2015.18.issue-6</pub-id>
</citation>
</ref>
<ref id="B29">
<label>29</label>
<citation citation-type="journal">
<person-group person-group-type="author">
<name>
<surname>Reihani</surname> <given-names>H</given-names>
</name>
<name>
<surname>Rastin</surname> <given-names>M</given-names>
</name>
<name>
<surname>Mahmoudi</surname> <given-names>M</given-names>
</name>
<name>
<surname>Ghoryani</surname> <given-names>M</given-names>
</name>
<name>
<surname>Abdollahi</surname> <given-names>N</given-names>
</name>
<name>
<surname>Tabasi</surname> <given-names>NS</given-names>
</name>
<etal/>
</person-group>. <article-title>Influence of 1 alpha, 25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 on T helper 17 cells and related cytokines in systemic lupus erythematosus</article-title>. <source>Iranian J Immunol</source>. (<year>2015</year>) <volume>12</volume>:<fpage>82</fpage>&#x2013;<lpage>93</lpage>.</citation>
</ref>
<ref id="B30">
<label>30</label>
<citation citation-type="journal">
<person-group person-group-type="author">
<name>
<surname>Thakur</surname> <given-names>C</given-names>
</name>
<name>
<surname>Wolfarth</surname> <given-names>M</given-names>
</name>
<name>
<surname>Sun</surname> <given-names>J</given-names>
</name>
<name>
<surname>Zhang</surname> <given-names>Y</given-names>
</name>
<name>
<surname>Lu</surname> <given-names>Y</given-names>
</name>
<name>
<surname>Battelli</surname> <given-names>L</given-names>
</name>
<etal/>
</person-group>. <article-title>Oncoprotein mdig contributes to silica-induced pulmonary fibrosis by altering balance between Th17 and Treg T cells</article-title>. <source>Oncotarget</source>. (<year>2015</year>) <volume>6</volume>:<fpage>3722</fpage>. doi:&#xa0;<pub-id pub-id-type="doi">10.18632/oncotarget.v6i6</pub-id>
</citation>
</ref>
<ref id="B31">
<label>31</label>
<citation citation-type="journal">
<person-group person-group-type="author">
<name>
<surname>Petri</surname> <given-names>M</given-names>
</name>
<name>
<surname>Orbai</surname> <given-names>AM</given-names>
</name>
<name>
<surname>Alarc&#xf3;n</surname> <given-names>GS</given-names>
</name>
<name>
<surname>Gordon</surname> <given-names>C</given-names>
</name>
<name>
<surname>Merrill</surname> <given-names>JT</given-names>
</name>
<name>
<surname>Fortin</surname> <given-names>PR</given-names>
</name>
<etal/>
</person-group>. <article-title>Derivation and validation of the Systemic Lupus International Collaborating Clinics classification criteria for systemic lupus erythematosus</article-title>. <source>Arthritis Rheumatism</source>. (<year>2012</year>) <volume>64</volume>:<page-range>2677&#x2013;86</page-range>. doi:&#xa0;<pub-id pub-id-type="doi">10.1002/art.34473</pub-id>
</citation>
</ref>
<ref id="B32">
<label>32</label>
<citation citation-type="journal">
<person-group person-group-type="author">
<name>
<surname>Tan</surname> <given-names>X-p</given-names>
</name>
<name>
<surname>Dong</surname> <given-names>W-g</given-names>
</name>
<name>
<surname>Zhang</surname> <given-names>Q</given-names>
</name>
<name>
<surname>Yang</surname> <given-names>Z-r</given-names>
</name>
<name>
<surname>Lei</surname> <given-names>X-f</given-names>
</name>
<name>
<surname>Ai</surname> <given-names>M-h</given-names>
</name>
</person-group>. <article-title>Potential effects of Mina53 on tumor growth in human pancreatic cancer</article-title>. <source>Cell Biochem biophysics</source>. (<year>2014</year>) <volume>69</volume>:<page-range>619&#x2013;25</page-range>. doi:&#xa0;<pub-id pub-id-type="doi">10.1007/s12013-014-9841-7</pub-id>
</citation>
</ref>
<ref id="B33">
<label>33</label>
<citation citation-type="journal">
<person-group person-group-type="author">
<name>
<surname>Tsuneoka</surname> <given-names>M</given-names>
</name>
<name>
<surname>Nishimune</surname> <given-names>Y</given-names>
</name>
<name>
<surname>Ohta</surname> <given-names>K</given-names>
</name>
<name>
<surname>Teye</surname> <given-names>K</given-names>
</name>
<name>
<surname>Tanaka</surname> <given-names>H</given-names>
</name>
<name>
<surname>Soejima</surname> <given-names>M</given-names>
</name>
<etal/>
</person-group>. <article-title>Expression of Mina53, a product of a Myc target gene in mouse testis</article-title>. <source>Int J andrology</source>. (<year>2006</year>) <volume>29</volume>:<page-range>323&#x2013;30</page-range>. doi:&#xa0;<pub-id pub-id-type="doi">10.1111/j.1365-2605.2005.00572.x</pub-id>
</citation>
</ref>
<ref id="B34">
<label>34</label>
<citation citation-type="journal">
<person-group person-group-type="author">
<name>
<surname>Lian</surname> <given-names>SL</given-names>
</name>
<name>
<surname>Mihi</surname> <given-names>B</given-names>
</name>
<name>
<surname>Koyanagi</surname> <given-names>M</given-names>
</name>
<name>
<surname>Nakayama</surname> <given-names>T</given-names>
</name>
<name>
<surname>Bix</surname> <given-names>M</given-names>
</name>
</person-group>. <article-title>A SNP uncoupling Mina expression from the TGF&#x3b2; signaling pathway</article-title>. <source>Immunity Inflammation disease</source>. (<year>2018</year>) <volume>6</volume>:<fpage>58</fpage>&#x2013;<lpage>71</lpage>. doi:&#xa0;<pub-id pub-id-type="doi">10.1002/iid3.191</pub-id>
</citation>
</ref>
<ref id="B35">
<label>35</label>
<citation citation-type="journal">
<person-group person-group-type="author">
<name>
<surname>Chen</surname> <given-names>Y</given-names>
</name>
<name>
<surname>Yang</surname> <given-names>X</given-names>
</name>
<name>
<surname>Huang</surname> <given-names>Y</given-names>
</name>
<name>
<surname>Liu</surname> <given-names>E</given-names>
</name>
<name>
<surname>Wang</surname> <given-names>L</given-names>
</name>
</person-group>. <article-title>Associations of the single-nucleotide polymorphisms of the Mina gene with the development of asthma in Chinese Han children: a case&#x2013;control study</article-title>. <source>Genet testing Mol Biomarkers</source>. (<year>2011</year>) <volume>15</volume>:<page-range>531&#x2013;6</page-range>. doi:&#xa0;<pub-id pub-id-type="doi">10.1089/gtmb.2010.0240</pub-id>
</citation>
</ref>
<ref id="B36">
<label>36</label>
<citation citation-type="journal">
<person-group person-group-type="author">
<name>
<surname>Thakur</surname> <given-names>C</given-names>
</name>
<name>
<surname>Chen</surname> <given-names>F</given-names>
</name>
</person-group>. <article-title>Current understanding of mdig/MINA in human cancers</article-title>. <source>Genes Cancer</source>. (<year>2015</year>) <volume>6</volume>:<fpage>288</fpage>. doi:&#xa0;<pub-id pub-id-type="doi">10.18632/genesandcancer.v6i7-8</pub-id>
</citation>
</ref>
<ref id="B37">
<label>37</label>
<citation citation-type="journal">
<person-group person-group-type="author">
<name>
<surname>Xuan</surname> <given-names>F</given-names>
</name>
<name>
<surname>Huang</surname> <given-names>M</given-names>
</name>
<name>
<surname>Zhao</surname> <given-names>E</given-names>
</name>
<name>
<surname>Cui</surname> <given-names>H</given-names>
</name>
</person-group>. <article-title>MINA53 deficiency leads to glioblastoma cell apoptosis via inducing DNA replication stress and diminishing DNA damage response</article-title>. <source>Cell Death disease</source>. (<year>2018</year>) <volume>9</volume>:<fpage>1062</fpage>. doi:&#xa0;<pub-id pub-id-type="doi">10.1038/s41419-018-1084-x</pub-id>
</citation>
</ref>
<ref id="B38">
<label>38</label>
<citation citation-type="journal">
<person-group person-group-type="author">
<name>
<surname>Meas</surname> <given-names>R</given-names>
</name>
<name>
<surname>Burak</surname> <given-names>MJ</given-names>
</name>
<name>
<surname>Sweasy</surname> <given-names>JB</given-names>
</name>
</person-group>. <article-title>DNA repair and systemic lupus erythematosus</article-title>. <source>DNA repair</source>. (<year>2017</year>) <volume>56</volume>:<page-range>174&#x2013;82</page-range>. doi:&#xa0;<pub-id pub-id-type="doi">10.1016/j.dnarep.2017.06.020</pub-id>
</citation>
</ref>
<ref id="B39">
<label>39</label>
<citation citation-type="journal">
<person-group person-group-type="author">
<name>
<surname>Narayanan</surname> <given-names>K</given-names>
</name>
<name>
<surname>Marwaha</surname> <given-names>V</given-names>
</name>
<name>
<surname>Shanmuganandan</surname> <given-names>K</given-names>
</name>
<name>
<surname>Shankar</surname> <given-names>S</given-names>
</name>
</person-group>. <article-title>Correlation between systemic lupus erythematosus disease activity index, C3, C4 and anti-dsDNA antibodies</article-title>. <source>Med J Armed Forces India</source>. (<year>2010</year>) <volume>66</volume>:<page-range>102&#x2013;7</page-range>. doi:&#xa0;<pub-id pub-id-type="doi">10.1016/S0377-1237(10)80118-2</pub-id>
</citation>
</ref>
</ref-list>
</back>
</article>