RESUMEN
Genetic studies have revealed many variant loci that are associated with immune-mediated diseases. To elucidate the disease pathogenesis, it is essential to understand the function of these variants, especially under disease-associated conditions. Here, we performed a large-scale immune cell gene-expression analysis, together with whole-genome sequence analysis. Our dataset consists of 28 distinct immune cell subsets from 337 patients diagnosed with 10 categories of immune-mediated diseases and 79 healthy volunteers. Our dataset captured distinctive gene-expression profiles across immune cell types and diseases. Expression quantitative trait loci (eQTL) analysis revealed dynamic variations of eQTL effects in the context of immunological conditions, as well as cell types. These cell-type-specific and context-dependent eQTLs showed significant enrichment in immune disease-associated genetic variants, and they implicated the disease-relevant cell types, genes, and environment. This atlas deepens our understanding of the immunogenetic functions of disease-associated variants under in vivo disease conditions.
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Regulación de la Expresión Génica/genética , Expresión Génica/inmunología , Enfermedades del Sistema Inmune/genética , Adulto , Femenino , Expresión Génica/genética , Regulación de la Expresión Génica/inmunología , Predisposición Genética a la Enfermedad/genética , Estudio de Asociación del Genoma Completo/métodos , Humanos , Sistema Inmunológico/citología , Sistema Inmunológico/metabolismo , Enfermedades del Sistema Inmune/metabolismo , Enfermedades del Sistema Inmune/fisiopatología , Masculino , Persona de Mediana Edad , Polimorfismo de Nucleótido Simple/genética , Sitios de Carácter Cuantitativo/genética , Sitios de Carácter Cuantitativo/inmunología , Transcriptoma/genética , Secuenciación Completa del Genoma/métodosRESUMEN
Anti-melanoma differentiation-associated protein 5 antibody-positive dermatomyositis (anti-MDA5-DM) is frequently complicated by progressive interstitial lung disease (ILD), the prognosis of which is poor, and management is a major challenge. We treated three patients with anti-MDA5-DM-associated ILD (anti-MDA5-DM-ILD) using the Janus kinase (JAK) inhibitor, baricitinib, which improved lung opacities and saved two patients. We reviewed 6 patients with anti-MDA5-DM-ILD who had been treated with tofacitinib at our institution. Five of the patients survived, although discontinuation of tofacitinib due to complications was frequently observed. In addition, a literature search of patients with anti-MDA5-DM-ILD who were treated with JAK inhibitors yielded 21 articles involving 79 cases. All patients except one were treated with tofacitinib, and the survival rate was 75.9%. Although not statistically confirmed, the deceased patients tended to be older and had higher ferritin levels. A total of 92 complications were observed, 11 of which resulted in JAK inhibitor discontinuation. Cytomegalovirus reactivation comprised a substantial percentage of all complications and of those patients who required JAK inhibitor discontinuation. Five cases with fatal infective complications were also observed. While tofacitinib has been proposed to be a therapeutic option for anti-MDA5-DM-ILD, other JAK inhibitors, including baricitinib, are a treatment option. Further investigation is warranted to optimize treatment of anti-MDA5-DM-ILD.
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Azetidinas , Dermatomiositis , Inhibidores de las Cinasas Janus , Enfermedades Pulmonares Intersticiales , Purinas , Pirazoles , Sulfonamidas , Humanos , Inhibidores de las Cinasas Janus/uso terapéutico , Dermatomiositis/complicaciones , Dermatomiositis/tratamiento farmacológico , Autoanticuerpos , Estudios Retrospectivos , Enfermedades Pulmonares Intersticiales/complicaciones , Enfermedades Pulmonares Intersticiales/tratamiento farmacológico , Pronóstico , Helicasa Inducida por Interferón IFIH1RESUMEN
OBJECTIVES: Recent studies demonstrate that extracellular-released aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases (aaRSs) play unique roles in immune responses and diseases. This study aimed to understand the role of extracellular aaRSs in the pathogenesis of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). METHODS: Primary macrophages and fibroblast-like synoviocytes were cultured with aaRSs. aaRS-induced cytokine production including IL-6 and TNF-α was detected by ELISA. Transcriptomic features of aaRS-stimulated macrophages were examined using RNA-sequencing. Serum and synovial fluid (SF) aaRS levels in patients with RA were assessed using ELISA. Peptidyl arginine deiminase (PAD) 4 release from macrophages stimulated with aaRSs was detected by ELISA. Citrullination of aaRSs by themselves was examined by immunoprecipitation and western blotting. Furthermore, aaRS inhibitory peptides were used for inhibition of arthritis in two mouse RA models, collagen-induced arthritis and collagen antibody-induced arthritis. RESULTS: All 20 aaRSs functioned as alarmin; they induced pro-inflammatory cytokines through the CD14-MD2-TLR4 axis. Stimulation of macrophages with aaRSs displayed persistent innate inflammatory responses. Serum and SF levels of many aaRSs increased in patients with RA compared with control subjects. Furthermore, aaRSs released PAD4 from living macrophages, leading to their citrullination. We demonstrate that aaRS inhibitory peptides suppress cytokine production and PAD4 release by aaRSs and alleviate arthritic symptoms in a mouse RA model. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings uncovered the significant role of aaRSs as a novel alarmin in RA pathogenesis, indicating that their blocking agents are potent antirheumatic drugs.
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Artritis Experimental , Artritis Reumatoide , Animales , Ratones , Alarminas , Células Cultivadas , Citocinas , Modelos Animales de Enfermedad , Fibroblastos/patología , Inflamación , Líquido Sinovial , HumanosRESUMEN
OBJECTIVES: Synovial fibroblasts (SFs) are one of the major components of the inflamed synovium in rheumatoid arthritis (RA). We aimed to gain insight into the pathogenic mechanisms of SFs through elucidating the genetic contribution to molecular regulatory networks under inflammatory condition. METHODS: SFs from RA and osteoarthritis (OA) patients (n=30 each) were stimulated with eight different cytokines (interferon (IFN)-α, IFN-γ, tumour necrosis factor-α, interleukin (IL)-1ß, IL-6/sIL-6R, IL-17, transforming growth factor-ß1, IL-18) or a combination of all 8 (8-mix). Peripheral blood mononuclear cells were fractioned into five immune cell subsets (CD4+ T cells, CD8+ T cells, B cells, natural killer (NK) cells, monocytes). Integrative analyses including mRNA expression, histone modifications (H3K27ac, H3K4me1, H3K4me3), three-dimensional (3D) genome architecture and genetic variations of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were performed. RESULTS: Unstimulated RASFs differed markedly from OASFs in the transcriptome and epigenome. Meanwhile, most of the responses to stimulations were shared between the diseases. Activated SFs expressed pathogenic genes, including CD40 whose induction by IFN-γ was significantly affected by an RA risk SNP (rs6074022). On chromatin remodelling in activated SFs, RA risk loci were enriched in clusters of enhancers (super-enhancers; SEs) induced by synergistic proinflammatory cytokines. An RA risk SNP (rs28411362), located in an SE under synergistically acting cytokines, formed 3D contact with the promoter of metal-regulatory transcription factor-1 (MTF1) gene, whose binding motif showed significant enrichment in stimulation specific-SEs. Consistently, inhibition of MTF1 suppressed cytokine and chemokine production from SFs and ameliorated mice model of arthritis. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings established the dynamic landscape of activated SFs and yielded potential therapeutic targets associated with genetic risk of RA.
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Artritis Reumatoide , Leucocitos Mononucleares , Animales , Linfocitos T CD8-positivos/metabolismo , Células Cultivadas , Citocinas/metabolismo , Fibroblastos/metabolismo , Humanos , Leucocitos Mononucleares/metabolismo , Ratones , Membrana Sinovial/metabolismoRESUMEN
OBJECTIVE: The immature platelet fraction (IPF) represents recently produced platelets in bone marrow and this parameter is increased in patient with primary immune thrombocytopenia (ITP). We investigated the associations between IPF and absolute immature platelet count (AIPC), and clinical parameters in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), which has more complex pathological mechanisms than in primary ITP. METHODS: Patients with SLE were retrospectively reviewed at the University of Tokyo Hospital from May, 2012 to January, 2021. The correlations between clinical parameters and the number of immature platelets were assessed with Spearman's rank correlation coefficients. A multiple logistic regression model was used to identify the independent clinical parameters for IPF and AIPC. The difference in the distribution of time for a complete response (CR) after prednisolone (PSL) administration was also evaluated by log-rank test. RESULTS: A total of 282 SLE patients were enrolled, and 12.41% of those patients showed thrombocytopenia. IPF correlated with clinical parameters such as platelet count (r = -0.58), AIPC (r = 0.64) and systemic lupus erythematosus disease activity index 2000 (SLEDAI-2K) (r = 0.24). SLEDAI-2K [odds ratio (OR) (per unit increase), 1.07; 95% CI, 1.013 - 1.13] and thrombocytopenia (OR, 32.23; 95% CI, 11.072 - 93.80) were independent clinical parameters to account for IPF increase. IPF correlated with the number of bone marrow megakaryocytes (n = 19, r = 0.57). Notably, the probability of CR in response to PSL in AIPC-high patients was higher than in AIPC-low patients (hazard ratio, 4.62; 95% CI, 1.07 - 20.02). CONCLUSION: IPF correlated with disease activity of SLE and represented platelet production in the bone marrow, whereas AIPC predicted a rapid response to steroids in thrombocytopenic patients with SLE.
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Plaquetas , Lupus Eritematoso Sistémico , Recuento de Plaquetas , Púrpura Trombocitopénica Idiopática , Adulto , Plaquetas/inmunología , Femenino , Glucocorticoides/uso terapéutico , Humanos , Lupus Eritematoso Sistémico/complicaciones , Lupus Eritematoso Sistémico/tratamiento farmacológico , Lupus Eritematoso Sistémico/inmunología , Masculino , Persona de Mediana Edad , Pronóstico , Púrpura Trombocitopénica Idiopática/tratamiento farmacológico , Púrpura Trombocitopénica Idiopática/inmunología , Estudios Retrospectivos , Trombocitopenia/tratamiento farmacológico , Trombocitopenia/inmunologíaRESUMEN
Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is an autoimmune disease characterized by destructive synovitis. It is significantly associated with disability, impaired quality of life, and premature mortality. Recently, the development of biological agents (including tumor necrosis factor-α and interleukin-6 receptor inhibitors) and Janus kinase inhibitors have advanced the treatment of RA; however, it is still difficult to predict which drug will be effective for each patient. To break away from the current therapeutic approaches that could be described as a "lottery," there is an urgent need to establish biomarkers that stratify patients in terms of expected therapeutic responsiveness. This review deals with recent progress from multi-faceted analyses of the synovial tissue in RA, which is now bringing new insights into diverse features at both the cellular and molecular levels and their potential links with particular clinical phenotypes.
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Antirreumáticos/uso terapéutico , Artritis Reumatoide/tratamiento farmacológico , Biomarcadores/sangre , Artritis Reumatoide/sangre , Artritis Reumatoide/patología , Humanos , Membrana Sinovial/patologíaRESUMEN
OBJECTIVES: Interstitial lung disease sometimes occurs in rheumatoid arthritis patients. Although the underlying immunological mechanisms responsible for interstitial lung disease associated with rheumatoid arthritis have not yet been clarified, some reports have suggested possible roles of B cells. To examine the role of B-cell subsets in interstitial lung disease in rheumatoid arthritis patients, we analyzed peripheral blood B-cell subsets. METHODS: We analyzed the frequencies of the peripheral blood B-cell subsets by flow cytometry in rheumatoid arthritis patients with and without interstitial lung disease (n = 16 and 81, respectively) and in healthy donors (n = 110) by high-resolution computed tomography. RESULTS: Compared with healthy donors, rheumatoid arthritis patients showed statistically higher frequencies of naive B cells and lower frequencies of memory B cells. Moreover, the frequencies of memory B cells were lower in rheumatoid arthritis patients with interstitial lung disease than in those without. Multivariate analysis showed that the frequency of memory B cells, particularly switched memory B cells, was significantly decreased in rheumatoid arthritis patients with interstitial lung disease, even after adjusting for prednisolone dose. CONCLUSIONS: We suspect memory B cells play important roles in interstitial lung disease associated with rheumatoid arthritis.
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Artritis Reumatoide , Linfocitos B/inmunología , Memoria Inmunológica , Pruebas Inmunológicas/métodos , Enfermedades Pulmonares Intersticiales , Pulmón/diagnóstico por imagen , Adulto , Artritis Reumatoide/complicaciones , Artritis Reumatoide/inmunología , Subgrupos de Linfocitos B , Estudios de Casos y Controles , Femenino , Humanos , Japón , Enfermedades Pulmonares Intersticiales/diagnóstico , Enfermedades Pulmonares Intersticiales/etiología , Enfermedades Pulmonares Intersticiales/inmunología , Masculino , Tomografía Computarizada por Rayos X/métodosRESUMEN
We analyzed the transcriptome of detailed CD4+ T cell subsets including them after abatacept treatment, and examined the difference among CD4+ T cell subsets and identified gene sets that are closely associated disease activity and abatacept treatment. Seven CD4+ T cell subsets (naive, Th1, Th17, Th1/17, nonTh1/17, Tfh and Treg) were sorted from PBMCs taken from 10 RA patients and 10 healthy controls, and three RA patients donated samples before and 6 months after abatacept treatment. Paired-end RNA sequencing was performed using HiSeq 2500. A total of 149 samples except for 12 outliers were analyzed. Overview of expression pattern of RA revealed that administration of abatacept exerts a large shift toward the expression pattern of HC. Most of differentially expressed gene (DEG) upregulated in RA (n = 1776) were downregulated with abatacept treatment (n = 1349). Inversely, most of DEG downregulated in RA (n = 1860) were upregulated with abatacept treatment (n = 1294). This DEG-based analysis revealed shared pathway changes in RA CD4+ T cell subsets. Knowledge-based pathway analysis revealed the upregulation of activation-related pathways in RA that was substantially ameliorated by abatacept. Weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA) evaluated CD4+ T cells collectively and identified a gene module that consisted of 227 genes and was correlated with DAS28-CRP (Spearman's rho = 0.46, p = 4 × 10-9) and abatacept administration (Spearman's rho = -0.91, p = 5 × 10-57). The most highly connected 30 genes of this module included ZAP70 and JAK3, and pathway analysis of this module revealed dysregulation of the TCR signaling pathway network, which was ameliorated by abatacept.
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Artritis Reumatoide/genética , Linfocitos T CD4-Positivos/inmunología , Redes Reguladoras de Genes/genética , Subgrupos de Linfocitos T/inmunología , Abatacept/uso terapéutico , Adulto , Anciano , Animales , Antirreumáticos/uso terapéutico , Artritis Reumatoide/tratamiento farmacológico , Femenino , Humanos , Janus Quinasa 3/genética , Masculino , Ratones , Persona de Mediana Edad , Receptores de Antígenos de Linfocitos T/metabolismo , Análisis de Secuencia de ARN , Transducción de Señal , Subgrupos de Linfocitos T/efectos de los fármacos , Transcriptoma , Proteína Tirosina Quinasa ZAP-70/genéticaRESUMEN
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Artritis Reumatoide/inmunología , Linfocitos B/inmunología , Microbioma Gastrointestinal/inmunología , Tracto Gastrointestinal/inmunología , Memoria Inmunológica , Integrinas/inmunología , Receptores Mensajeros de Linfocitos/inmunología , Artritis Reumatoide/sangre , Linfocitos B/metabolismo , Estudios de Casos y Controles , Moléculas de Adhesión Celular , Disbiosis , Tracto Gastrointestinal/metabolismo , Tracto Gastrointestinal/microbiología , Interacciones Huésped-Patógeno , Humanos , Inmunoglobulinas/inmunología , Inmunoglobulinas/metabolismo , Integrinas/sangre , Ligandos , Tejido Linfoide/inmunología , Tejido Linfoide/metabolismo , Mucoproteínas/inmunología , Mucoproteínas/metabolismo , Fenotipo , Receptores Mensajeros de Linfocitos/sangre , Factor Reumatoide/sangre , Factor Reumatoide/inmunología , Transducción de Señal , Regulación hacia ArribaRESUMEN
To evaluate the effects of tocilizumab (TCZ) on adult-onset Still's disease (AOSD), we reviewed medical records of seven patients with refractory AOSD treated with TCZ at our institution. TCZ therapy might allow rapid corticosteroid tapering and help maintain remission status, that is, resolution of clinical symptoms and normalization of biomarkers such as CRP and ferritin. Patients, however, should be monitored for the development of macrophage activation syndrome when TCZ is administered for active AOSD.
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Anticuerpos Monoclonales Humanizados/uso terapéutico , Enfermedad de Still del Adulto/tratamiento farmacológico , Adulto , Femenino , Humanos , Masculino , Persona de Mediana Edad , Inducción de Remisión , Resultado del TratamientoRESUMEN
INTRODUCTION: Pulmonary hypertension (PH) is characterized by increased pressure in the pulmonary artery and right ventricular hypertrophy (RVH). Recently, angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2), which converts angiotensin (Ang) II into Ang-(1-7), was shown to inhibit experimental PH. Here we identified a novel ACE2 activator and investigated how the compound reduced monocrotaline (MCT)-induced PH. METHODS: To induce PH, Sprague-Dawley rats were injected subcutaneously with MCT, followed by the continuous administration of NCP-2454, an ACE2 activator, using osmotic pumps. Pulmonary arterial compliance was monitored every week until 4 weeks post-injection (wpi). RVH and lung remodeling was evaluated using lung tissue at 4 wpi. RESULTS: NCP-2454 upregulated the production of Ang-(1-7) when incubated with ACE2 and Ang II. Notably, a continuous infusion of NCP-2454 significantly improved pulmonary arterial compliance, right ventricular systolic pressure, and RVH in MCT-treated rats. Interestingly, NCP-2454 increased the relative expression of ACE2 and MAS mRNA in lung tissue, especially in MCT-treated rats. In addition, the compound inhibited the MCT-induced overexpression of transforming growth factor ß, phosphorylation of signal transducer and activator of transcription-3 (STAT3), and interleukin-6 production. The compound also restored the expression of caveolin-1 (Cav-1), which negatively regulates the Janus kinase-STAT signaling cascade. CONCLUSIONS: NCP-2454 prevented MCT-induced PH by suppressing intracellular inflammatory cascades, an upstream molecular change of which is the disruption of Cav-1 expression.
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Caveolina 1/metabolismo , Hipertensión Pulmonar/prevención & control , Oxazoles/uso terapéutico , Peptidil-Dipeptidasa A/efectos de los fármacos , Pirimidinas/uso terapéutico , Enzima Convertidora de Angiotensina 2 , Animales , Evaluación Preclínica de Medicamentos , Activación Enzimática/efectos de los fármacos , Retroalimentación Fisiológica/efectos de los fármacos , Ventrículos Cardíacos/efectos de los fármacos , Hipertensión Pulmonar/inducido químicamente , Hipertensión Pulmonar/metabolismo , Hipertrofia Ventricular Derecha/prevención & control , Quinasas Janus/metabolismo , Masculino , Monocrotalina , Oxazoles/farmacología , Peptidil-Dipeptidasa A/metabolismo , Pirimidinas/farmacología , Ratas Sprague-Dawley , Factores de Transcripción STAT/metabolismo , Factor de Crecimiento Transformador beta/metabolismoRESUMEN
OBJECTIVE: The gamma-aminobutyric acid type B receptors (GABAR(B)) are G-protein coupled receptors for GABA, the main inhibitory neurotransmitter in the brain. We identified GABAR(B) subunits as candidate antigens in patients with SLE using a random peptide display library. The aim of this study was to investigate the possible link between anti-GABAR(B) antibodies and disease activity and NPSLE. METHODS: ELISA was performed with recombinant proteins of GABAR(B1b) and GABAR(B2) on serum samples from patients with SLE (n = 88), scleroderma (n = 20), myositis (n = 20) or vasculitis (n = 20) as well as healthy subjects (n = 20). Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) from 23 patients with SLE was also examined. RESULTS: Autoantibodies to GABAR(Bs) were exclusive to patients with SLE (P < 0.001) and positively associated with SLEDAI (anti-GABAR(B1b), P = 0.001; anti-GABAR(B2), P < 0.001). Of note, autoantibodies were positively linked with NPSLE (anti-GABAR(B1b), P = 0.02; anti-GABAR(B2), P = 0.03). Moreover, anti-GABAR(Bs) was detected in 61.5% of CSF samples from patients with active NPSLE, a frequency that was significantly higher than that for patients with non-SLE syndromes. CONCLUSION: Anti-GABAR(B) antibodies could represent novel candidate markers for disease activity and NPSLE.
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Autoanticuerpos/sangre , Vasculitis por Lupus del Sistema Nervioso Central/diagnóstico , Receptores de GABA-B/inmunología , Adulto , Anciano , Autoanticuerpos/líquido cefalorraquídeo , Biomarcadores/sangre , Biomarcadores/líquido cefalorraquídeo , Estudios de Casos y Controles , Femenino , Humanos , Vasculitis por Lupus del Sistema Nervioso Central/inmunología , Vasculitis por Lupus del Sistema Nervioso Central/metabolismo , Masculino , Persona de Mediana Edad , Índice de Severidad de la EnfermedadRESUMEN
OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the possible correlation of malignant neoplasms and paraneoplastic rheumatologic syndromes. METHODS: We studied a series of 10 patients with paraneoplastic rheumatological syndromes collected from our Division of Rheumatic Disease between 2006 and 2012. RESULTS: Our series consisted of four males and six females, with a mean age of 65.5 years (range, 57-78 years). Of the 10 patients recruited, six had hematological malignancies and four had solid cancers. Malignancies were diagnosed after rheumatic symptoms were reported in all patients. Compared to solid tumors, hemopathy was diagnosed at a later time point (16.2 vs. 7.3 months). Extra-articular symptoms were associated with rheumatologic musculoskeletal manifestations in 100% of the patients. Polyarthritis was the main rheumatologic musculoskeletal manifestation (50% of the patients). The other manifestations were oligopolyarthritis and polymyalgia rheumatic-like symptoms (20% of the patients). Symmetric arthritis was present in 60% of the patients, and the remaining patients developed asymmetric arthritis. Musculoskeletal manifestations completely regressed in 66.7% of the patients after cancer therapy. When tumor relapse was observed, rheumatic symptoms did not recur in any of our patients (100%). CONCLUSIONS: Rheumatic disorders with atypical clinical presentation in older patients, poor response to usual treatment and systemic features such as weight loss and clinical findings compatible with well-recognized paraneoplastic syndromes should alert clinicians to the possible coexistence of an occult malignancy. Especially in cases of paraneoplastic rheumatic/musculoskeletal manifestations associated with hemopathy, the primary disease is unlikely to have manifested yet, making the diagnosis difficult. Thus, caution is required.
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Enfermedades Musculoesqueléticas/diagnóstico , Síndromes Paraneoplásicos/diagnóstico , Enfermedades Reumáticas/diagnóstico , Anciano , Femenino , Humanos , Masculino , Persona de Mediana Edad , Enfermedades Musculoesqueléticas/patología , Síndromes Paraneoplásicos/patología , Enfermedades Reumáticas/patologíaRESUMEN
Single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) has transformed our understanding of immune-mediated arthritis, which comprises rheumatoid arthritis and spondyloarthritis. This review outlines the key findings and advancements in scRNA-seq studies focused on the pathogenesis of autoimmune arthritis and its clinical application. In rheumatoid arthritis, scRNA-seq has elucidated the heterogeneity among synovial fibroblasts and immune cell subsets in inflammatory sites, offering insights into disease mechanisms and the differences in treatment responses. Various studies have identified distinct synovial fibroblast subpopulations, such as THY1+ inflammatory and THY1- destructive fibroblasts. Furthermore, scRNA-seq has revealed diverse T cell profiles in the synovium, including peripheral helper T cells and clonally expanded CD8+ T cells, shedding light on potential therapeutic targets and predictive markers of treatment response. Similarly, in spondyloarthritis, particularly psoriatic arthritis and ankylosing spondylitis, scRNA-seq studies have identified distinct cellular profiles associated with disease pathology. Challenges such as cost and sample size limitations persist, but collaborative efforts and utilization of public databases hold promise for overcoming these obstacles. Overall, scRNA-seq emerges as a powerful tool for dissecting cellular heterogeneity and driving precision medicine in immune-mediated arthritis.
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BACKGROUND: Current strategies that target cytokines (e.g., tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α), or signaling molecules (e.g., Janus kinase (JAK)) have advanced the management for allergies and autoimmune diseases. Nevertheless, the molecular mechanism that underpins its clinical efficacy have largely remained elusive, especially in the local tissue environment. Here, we aimed to identify the genetic, epigenetic, and immunological targets of JAK inhibitors (JAKis), focusing on their effects on synovial fibroblasts (SFs), the major local effectors associated with destructive joint inflammation in rheumatoid arthritis (RA). METHODS: SFs were activated by cytokines related to inflammation in RA, and were treated with three types of JAKis or a TNF-α inhibitor (TNFi). Dynamic changes in transcriptome and chromatin accessibility were profiled across samples to identify drug targets. Furthermore, the putative targets were validated using luciferase assays and clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeat (CRISPR)-based genome editing. RESULTS: We found that both JAKis and the TNFi targeted the inflammatory module including IL6. Conversely, specific gene signatures that were preferentially inhibited by either of the drug classes were identified. Strikingly, RA risk enhancers for CD40 and TRAF1 were distinctively regulated by JAKis and the TNFi. We performed luciferase assays and CRISPR-based genome editing, and successfully fine-mapped the single causal variants in these loci, rs6074022-CD40 and rs7021049-TRAF1. CONCLUSIONS: JAKis and the TNFi had a direct impact on different RA risk enhancers, and we identified nucleotide-resolution targets for both drugs. Distinctive targets of clinically effective drugs could be useful for tailoring the application of these drugs and future design of more efficient treatment strategies.
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Pulmonary hypertension (PH) is a serious condition in which there is an abnormally high pressure in the pulmonary arteries that can occur as a complication of connective tissue diseases. Although the relationship between PH and systemic lupus erythematosus or systemic sclerosis has been well-characterized, PH rarely occurs in patients with anti-synthetase syndrome (ASS), and little is known about the pathophysiology and clinical outcome of patients with ASS-PH. We herein report a patient with anti-Jo-1-positive ASS complicated by PH and discuss the treatment strategy through a review of previously reported cases.
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Enfermedades del Tejido Conjuntivo , Hipertensión Pulmonar , Lupus Eritematoso Sistémico , Esclerodermia Sistémica , Humanos , Hipertensión Pulmonar/complicaciones , Hipertensión Pulmonar/tratamiento farmacológico , Enfermedades del Tejido Conjuntivo/complicaciones , Esclerodermia Sistémica/complicaciones , Lupus Eritematoso Sistémico/complicaciones , Arteria PulmonarRESUMEN
HLA-DRB1 shared epitope risk alleles are the strongest genetic risk factors for rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and potential biomarkers for treatment response to biological disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (bDMARDs). This study aimed to investigate the association between treatment response and individual HLA-DRB1 alleles in RA patients receiving different bDMARDs. We recruited 106 patients with active RA who had started abatacept, tocilizumab, or TNF inhibitors as a first-line bDMARDs. We examined the relationship between Simplified Disease Activity Index (SDAI) improvement at 3 months and HLA-DRB1 allele carriage. The results revealed that the HLA-DRB1*04:05 allele, a shared-epitope allele, was significantly associated with better SDAI improvement only after abatacept treatment (SDAI improvement 28.5% without the allele vs 59.8% with allele, p = 0.003). However, no significant association was found with other treatments. Both multivariate linear regression and mediation analysis confirmed that the HLA-DRB1*04:05 allele was independently associated with abatacept treatment response, regardless of anti-CCP antibody titers. The study concluded that in patients with RA receiving their first-line bDMARD treatment, carrying the HLA-DRB1*04:05 allele was associated with better SDAI improvement specifically in abatacept-treated patients. These disease-risk HLA alleles have the potential to serve as genomic biomarkers for predicting treatment response with co-stimulation blockage therapy.
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Antirreumáticos , Artritis Reumatoide , Humanos , Abatacept/uso terapéutico , Cadenas HLA-DRB1/genética , Artritis Reumatoide/tratamiento farmacológico , Artritis Reumatoide/genética , Antirreumáticos/uso terapéutico , EpítoposRESUMEN
OBJECTIVE: Recent advances in single-cell RNA sequencing technology have improved our understanding of the immunological landscape of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). We aimed to stratify the synovium from East Asian patients with RA by immune cell compositions and gain insight into the inflammatory drivers of each synovial phenotype. METHODS: Synovial tissues were obtained from East Asian patients in Japan with RA (n = 41) undergoing articular surgery. The cellular composition was quantified by a deconvolution approach using a public single-cell-based reference. Inflammatory pathway activity was calculated by gene set variation analysis, and chromatin accessibility was evaluated using assay of transposase accessible chromatin-sequencing. RESULTS: We stratified RA synovium into three distinct subtypes based on the hierarchical clustering of cellular composition data. One subtype was characterized by abundant HLA-DRAhigh synovial fibroblasts, autoimmune-associated B cells, GZMK+ GZMB+ CD8+ T cells, interleukin (IL)1-ß+ monocytes, and plasmablasts. In addition, tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, interferons (IFNs), and IL-6 signaling were highly activated in this subtype, and the expression of various chemokines was significantly enhanced. Moreover, we found an open chromatin region overlapping with RA risk locus rs9405192 near the IRF4 gene, suggesting the genetic background influences the development of this inflammatory synovial state. The other two subtypes were characterized by increased IFNs and IL-6 signaling, and expression of molecules associated with degeneration, respectively. CONCLUSION: This study adds insights into the synovial heterogeneity in East Asian patients and shows a promising link with predominant inflammatory signals. Evaluating the site of inflammation has the potential to lead to appropriate drug selection that matches the individual pathology.
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Artritis Reumatoide , Interleucina-6 , Humanos , Interleucina-6/metabolismo , Linfocitos T CD8-positivos/metabolismo , Pueblos del Este de Asia , Membrana Sinovial/metabolismo , Factor de Necrosis Tumoral alfa/metabolismo , Interferones/genética , CromatinaRESUMEN
Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is an autoimmune disease characterized by tumor-like hyperplasia and inflammation of the synovium, which causes synovial cell invasion into the bone and cartilage. In RA pathogenesis, various molecules in effector cells (i.e., immune cells and mesenchymal cells) are dysregulated by genetic and environmental factors. Consistent with the early stages of RA, these pathogenic cells cooperate and activate each other directly by cell-to-cell contact or indirectly via humoral factors. Recently, growing evidence has revealed essential role of adipokines, which are multifunctional signal transduction molecules, in the immune system. In this review, we summarize the current understanding of the cross-talk between leptin, one of the most well-known and best-characterized adipokines, and osteoimmunology. Furthermore, we discuss the contribution of leptin to the pathogenesis of RA and its potential mechanisms.
Asunto(s)
Leptina , Artritis Reumatoide , Cartílago/patología , Humanos , Inflamación , Membrana Sinovial/patologíaRESUMEN
Splicing quantitative trait loci (sQTLs) are one of the major causal mechanisms in genome-wide association study (GWAS) loci, but their role in disease pathogenesis is poorly understood. One reason is the complexity of alternative splicing events producing many unknown isoforms. Here, we propose two approaches, namely integration and selection, for this complexity by focusing on protein-structure of isoforms. First, we integrate isoforms with the same coding sequence (CDS) and identify 369-601 integrated-isoform ratio QTLs (i2-rQTLs), which altered protein-structure, in six immune subsets. Second, we select CDS incomplete isoforms annotated in GENCODE and identify 175-337 isoform-ratio QTL (i-rQTL). By comprehensive long-read capture RNA-sequencing among these incomplete isoforms, we reveal 29 full-length isoforms with unannotated CDSs associated with GWAS traits. Furthermore, we show that disease-causal sQTL genes can be identified by evaluating their trans-eQTL effects. Our approaches highlight the understudied role of protein-altering sQTLs and are broadly applicable to other tissues and diseases.