Dipeptidyl peptidase 4/CD26 expression in human idiopathic inflammatory myopathies reveals skeletal muscle injury and vascular inflammation

Objective We performed a retrospective and prospective observational study to investigate whether the T lymphocyte activation antigen dipeptidyl peptidase 4 (DPP4)/CD26 is expressed in the skeletal muscle of patients with idiopathic inflammatory myopathies (IIM) and whether its expression offers clues to understand the events taking place in the tissue. Methods CD26 expression in the muscle, evaluated by immunofluorescence, was assessed in 32 patients with IIM and 5 healthy controls and compared among patients with dermatomyositis (DM), immune-mediated necrotising myopathy (IMNM), inclusion body myositis (IBM), and polymyositis (PM). The relationship of CD26 expression and localisation with clinical, serological and histological features was determined. Results CD26 is selectively expressed in the skeletal muscle of patients with IIM. The highest levels of CD26 are found in the skeletal muscle from patients with DM and in particular in those characterised by tissue necrosis and vascular inflammation. CD26 expression is associated with decreased muscle performance and independently predicts the number of treatments before reaching disease stabilisation or improvement (odds ratio, OR=1.2, p<0.05). Conclusions CD26 is expressed in the IIM skeletal muscle and may represent a target of molecular intervention for patients with treatment-refractory myositis.