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Kamiya M, Carter H, Espindola MS, Doyle TJ, Lee JS, Merriam LT, Zhang F, Kawano-Dourado L, Sparks JA, Hogaboam CM, Moore BB, Oldham WM, Kim EY. Immune mechanisms in fibrotic interstitial lung disease. Cell 2024; 187:3506-3530. [PMID: 38996486 PMCID: PMC11246539 DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2024.05.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/10/2023] [Revised: 05/04/2024] [Accepted: 05/08/2024] [Indexed: 07/14/2024]
Abstract
Fibrotic interstitial lung diseases (fILDs) have poor survival rates and lack effective therapies. Despite evidence for immune mechanisms in lung fibrosis, immunotherapies have been unsuccessful for major types of fILD. Here, we review immunological mechanisms in lung fibrosis that have the potential to impact clinical practice. We first examine innate immunity, which is broadly involved across fILD subtypes. We illustrate how innate immunity in fILD involves a complex interplay of multiple cell subpopulations and molecular pathways. We then review the growing evidence for adaptive immunity in lung fibrosis to provoke a re-examination of its role in clinical fILD. We close with future directions to address key knowledge gaps in fILD pathobiology: (1) longitudinal studies emphasizing early-stage clinical disease, (2) immune mechanisms of acute exacerbations, and (3) next-generation immunophenotyping integrating spatial, genetic, and single-cell approaches. Advances in these areas are essential for the future of precision medicine and immunotherapy in fILD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mari Kamiya
- Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA 02115, USA; Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Hannah Carter
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
| | - Milena S Espindola
- Division of Pulmonary and Critical Medicine, Department of Medicine, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA 90048, USA
| | - Tracy J Doyle
- Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA 02115, USA; Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Joyce S Lee
- Department of Medicine, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, CO 80045, USA
| | - Louis T Merriam
- Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Fan Zhang
- Division of Rheumatology, Department of Medicine, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, CO 80045, USA; Department of Biomedical Informatics, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, CO 80045, USA
| | - Leticia Kawano-Dourado
- Hcor Research Institute, Hcor Hospital, Sao Paulo - SP 04004-030, Brazil; Pulmonary Division, Heart Institute (InCor), University of Sao Paulo, São Paulo - SP 05403-900, Brazil
| | - Jeffrey A Sparks
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA; Division of Rheumatology, Inflammation, and Immunity, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Cory M Hogaboam
- Division of Pulmonary and Critical Medicine, Department of Medicine, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA 90048, USA
| | - Bethany B Moore
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
| | - William M Oldham
- Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA 02115, USA; Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA.
| | - Edy Y Kim
- Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA 02115, USA; Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA.
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Soldano S, Smith V, Montagna P, Gotelli E, Campitiello R, Pizzorni C, Paolino S, Sulli A, Cere A, Cutolo M. Nintedanib downregulates the profibrotic M2 phenotype in cultured monocyte-derived macrophages obtained from systemic sclerosis patients affected by interstitial lung disease. Arthritis Res Ther 2024; 26:74. [PMID: 38509595 PMCID: PMC10953168 DOI: 10.1186/s13075-024-03308-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/11/2023] [Accepted: 03/10/2024] [Indexed: 03/22/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Systemic sclerosis (SSc) is an autoimmune connective tissue disease characterized by vasculopathy and progressive fibrosis of skin and several internal organs, including lungs. Macrophages are the main cells involved in the immune-inflammatory damage of skin and lungs, and alternatively activated (M2) macrophages seem to have a profibrotic role through the release of profibrotic cytokines (IL10) and growth factors (TGFβ1). Nintedanib is a tyrosine kinase inhibitor targeting several fibrotic mediators and it is approved for the treatment of SSc-related interstitial lung disease (ILD). The study aimed to evaluate the effect of nintedanib in downregulating the profibrotic M2 phenotype in cultured monocyte-derived macrophages (MDMs) obtained from SSc-ILD patients. METHODS Fourteen SSc patients, fulfilling the 2013 ACR/EULAR criteria for SSc, 10 SSc patients affected by ILD (SSc-ILD pts), 4 SSc patients non affected by ILD (SSc pts no-ILD), and 5 voluntary healthy subjects (HSs), were recruited at the Division of Clinical Rheumatology-University of Genova, after obtaining Ethical Committee approval and patients' informed consent. Monocytes were isolated from peripheral blood, differentiated into MDMs, and then maintained in growth medium without any treatment (untreated cells), or treated with nintedanib (0.1 and 1µM) for 3, 16, and 24 h. Gene expression of macrophage scavenger receptors (CD204, CD163), mannose receptor-1 (CD206), Mer tyrosine kinase (MerTK), identifying M2 macrophages, together with TGFβ1 and IL10, were evaluated by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction. Protein synthesis was investigated by Western blotting and the level of active TGFβ1 was evaluated by ELISA. Statistical analysis was carried out using non-parametric Wilcoxon test. RESULTS Cultured untreated SSc-ILD MDMs showed a significant increased protein synthesis of CD206 (p < 0.05), CD204, and MerTK (p < 0.01), together with a significant upregulation of the gene expression of MerTK and TGFβ1 (p < 0.05; p < 0.01) compared to HS-MDMs. Moreover, the protein synthesis of CD206 and MerTK and the gene expression of TGFβ1 were significantly higher in cultured untreated MDMs from SSc-ILD pts compared to MDMs without ILD (p < 0.05; p < 0.01). In cultured SSc-ILD MDMs, nintedanib 0.1 and 1µM significantly downregulated the gene expression and protein synthesis of CD204, CD206, CD163 (p < 0.05), and MerTK (p < 0.01) compared to untreated cells after 24 h of treatment. Limited to MerTK and IL10, both nintedanib concentrations significantly downregulated their gene expression already after 16 h of treatment (p < 0.05). In cultured SSc-ILD MDMs, nintedanib 0.1 and 1µM significantly reduced the release of active TGFβ1 after 24 h of treatment (p < 0.05 vs. untreated cells). CONCLUSIONS In cultured MDMs from SSc-ILD pts, nintedanib seems to downregulate the profibrotic M2 phenotype through the significant reduction of gene expression and protein synthesis of M2 cell surface markers, together with the significant reduction of TGFβ1 release, and notably MerTK, a tyrosine kinase receptor involved in lung fibrosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stefano Soldano
- Laboratory of Experimental Rheumatology, Division of Clinical Rheumatology, Department of Internal Medicine, University of Genova, Genoa, Italy
| | - Vanessa Smith
- Department of Internal Medicine, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
- Department of Rheumatology, Ghent University Hospital, Ghent, Belgium
- Unit for Molecular Immunology and Inflammation, VIB Inflammation Research Centre, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Paola Montagna
- Laboratory of Experimental Rheumatology, Division of Clinical Rheumatology, Department of Internal Medicine, University of Genova, Genoa, Italy
| | - Emanuele Gotelli
- Laboratory of Experimental Rheumatology, Division of Clinical Rheumatology, Department of Internal Medicine, University of Genova, Genoa, Italy
| | - Rosanna Campitiello
- Laboratory of Experimental Rheumatology, Division of Clinical Rheumatology, Department of Internal Medicine, University of Genova, Genoa, Italy
- IRCCS Ospedale Policlinico San Martino, Genoa, Italy
| | - Carmen Pizzorni
- Laboratory of Experimental Rheumatology, Division of Clinical Rheumatology, Department of Internal Medicine, University of Genova, Genoa, Italy
- IRCCS Ospedale Policlinico San Martino, Genoa, Italy
| | - Sabrina Paolino
- Laboratory of Experimental Rheumatology, Division of Clinical Rheumatology, Department of Internal Medicine, University of Genova, Genoa, Italy
- IRCCS Ospedale Policlinico San Martino, Genoa, Italy
| | - Alberto Sulli
- Laboratory of Experimental Rheumatology, Division of Clinical Rheumatology, Department of Internal Medicine, University of Genova, Genoa, Italy
- IRCCS Ospedale Policlinico San Martino, Genoa, Italy
| | - Andrea Cere
- Laboratory of Experimental Rheumatology, Division of Clinical Rheumatology, Department of Internal Medicine, University of Genova, Genoa, Italy
| | - Maurizio Cutolo
- Laboratory of Experimental Rheumatology, Division of Clinical Rheumatology, Department of Internal Medicine, University of Genova, Genoa, Italy.
- IRCCS Ospedale Policlinico San Martino, Genoa, Italy.
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Archimbaud J, Barnetche T, Lazaro E, Constans J, Duffau P, Truchetet ME, Seneschal J. Demographic and clinical characteristics of patients with coexistence of systemic sclerosis and atopy: A cross-sectional study. J Eur Acad Dermatol Venereol 2024; 38:e234-e237. [PMID: 37793813 DOI: 10.1111/jdv.19549] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2023] [Accepted: 09/29/2023] [Indexed: 10/06/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Julie Archimbaud
- Department of Dermatology and Pediatric Dermatology, National Reference Center for Rare Skin Disorders, Hôpital Saint-André, Bordeaux, France
| | - Thomas Barnetche
- Department of Rheumatology, Hôpital Pellegrin, Bordeaux, France
- Fédération Hospitalo-Universitaire ACRONYM, Bordeaux, France
| | - Estibaliz Lazaro
- Fédération Hospitalo-Universitaire ACRONYM, Bordeaux, France
- Department of Internal Medicine, National Reference Center for Systemic Autoimmune Rare Diseases, Hôpital Haut Lévêque, Bordeaux University Hospital, Pessac, France
| | - Joël Constans
- Department of Vascular Medicine, Hôpital Saint André, Bordeaux University Hospital, Bordeaux, France
| | - Pierre Duffau
- Fédération Hospitalo-Universitaire ACRONYM, Bordeaux, France
- Department of Internal Medicine, Hôpital Saint André, Bordeaux University Hospital, Bordeaux, France
- Bordeaux University, CNRS, ImmunoConcept, UMR 5164, Bordeaux, France
| | - Marie-Elise Truchetet
- Department of Rheumatology, Hôpital Pellegrin, Bordeaux, France
- Fédération Hospitalo-Universitaire ACRONYM, Bordeaux, France
- Bordeaux University, CNRS, ImmunoConcept, UMR 5164, Bordeaux, France
| | - Julien Seneschal
- Department of Dermatology and Pediatric Dermatology, National Reference Center for Rare Skin Disorders, Hôpital Saint-André, Bordeaux, France
- Fédération Hospitalo-Universitaire ACRONYM, Bordeaux, France
- Bordeaux University, CNRS, ImmunoConcept, UMR 5164, Bordeaux, France
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Yin H, Distler O, Shen L, Xu X, Yuan Y, Li R, Liu B, Li Q, Huang Q, Xie F, Zhang Z, Liang R, Dai X, Chen X, Li B, Yan Q, Lu L. Endothelial Response to Type I Interferon Contributes to Vasculopathy and Fibrosis and Predicts Disease Progression of Systemic Sclerosis. Arthritis Rheumatol 2024; 76:78-91. [PMID: 37488975 DOI: 10.1002/art.42662] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/13/2022] [Revised: 06/20/2023] [Accepted: 07/13/2023] [Indexed: 07/26/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Interferon (IFN)-1 signatures are a hallmark of patients with systemic sclerosis (SSc). However, its significance in clinical stratification and contribution to deterioration still need to be better understood. METHODS For hypothesis generation, we performed single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) on skin biopsies (four patients with SSc and two controls) using the BD Rhapsody platform. Two publicly available data sets of skin scRNA-seq were used for validation (GSE138669: 12 patients with diffuse cutaneous SSc [dcSSc] and 10 controls; GSE195452: 52 patients with dcSSc and 41 patients with limited cutaneous SSc [lcSSc] and 54 controls). The IFN-1 signature was mapped, functionally investigated in a bleomycin plus IFNα-2 adenovirus-associated virus (AAV)-induced model and verified in an SSc cohort (n = 61). RESULTS The discovery and validation data sets showed similar findings. Endothelial cells (ECs) had the most prominent IFN-1 signature among dermal nonimmune cells. The EC IFN-1 signature was increased both in patients with SSc versus controls and in patients with dcSSc versus those with lcSSc. Among EC subclusters, the IFN-1 signature was statistically higher in the capillary ECs of patients with dcSSc, which was higher than those in patients with lcSSc, which in turn was higher than those in healthy controls (HCs). Endothelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EndoMT) scores increased in parallel. Deteriorated bleomycin-induced dermal fibrosis, EndoMT, and perivascular fibrosis and caused blood vessel loss with EC apoptosis. Vascular myxovirus resistance (MX) 1, an IFN-1 response protein, was significantly increased both in total SSc versus HC skin and in dcSSc versus lcSSc skin. Baseline vascular MX1 performed similarly to skin score in predicting disease progression over 6 to 34 months in total SSc and was superior in the dcSSc subpopulation. CONCLUSION The EC IFN-1 signature distinguished SSc skin subtypes and disease progression and may contribute to vasculopathy and fibrosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hanlin Yin
- Department of Rheumatology, Renji Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Oliver Distler
- Department of Rheumatology, University Hospital Zurich, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Lichong Shen
- Department of Rheumatology, Renji Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Xiaojiang Xu
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Tulane University School of Medicine, New Orleans, Louisiana, USA
| | - Ye Yuan
- Institute of Image Processing and Pattern Recognition, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, and Key Laboratory of System Control and Information Processing, Ministry of Education of China, Shanghai, China
| | - Rui Li
- Department of Rheumatology, Renji Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Bei Liu
- Department of Rheumatology, Renji Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Qianqian Li
- Department of Rheumatology, Renji Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Qianru Huang
- Department of Rheumatology, Renji Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
- Center for Immune-Related Diseases at Shanghai Institute of Immunology, Department of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine of Ruijin Hospital, Department of Thoracic Surgery of Ruijin Hospital, Department of Immunology and Microbiology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Feng Xie
- Department of Rheumatology, Renji Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
- Center for Immune-Related Diseases at Shanghai Institute of Immunology, Department of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine of Ruijin Hospital, Department of Thoracic Surgery of Ruijin Hospital, Department of Immunology and Microbiology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Zhiliang Zhang
- Department of Rheumatology, Renji Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
- Department of Plastic and Aesthetic Surgery, Ningbo Hangzhou Bay Hospital, Zhejiang, China
| | - Rui Liang
- Department of Rheumatology, Renji Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
- Center for Immune-Related Diseases at Shanghai Institute of Immunology, Department of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine of Ruijin Hospital, Department of Thoracic Surgery of Ruijin Hospital, Department of Immunology and Microbiology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Xueyu Dai
- Center for Immune-Related Diseases at Shanghai Institute of Immunology, Department of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine of Ruijin Hospital, Department of Thoracic Surgery of Ruijin Hospital, Department of Immunology and Microbiology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Xiaoxiang Chen
- Department of Rheumatology, Renji Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
- Department of Rheumatology, Nantong Hospital of Renji Hospital Affiliated to Shanghai Jiao Tong Universuty School of Medicine, Nantong First People's Hospital, Affiliated Hospital 2 of Nantong University, Nantong, 226006, China
| | - Bin Li
- Center for Immune-Related Diseases at Shanghai Institute of Immunology, Department of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine of Ruijin Hospital, Department of Thoracic Surgery of Ruijin Hospital, Department of Immunology and Microbiology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Qingran Yan
- Department of Rheumatology, Renji Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Liangjing Lu
- Department of Rheumatology, Renji Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
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Al-Qazazi R, Emon IM, Potus F, Martin AY, Lima PDA, Vlasschaert C, Chen KH, Wu D, Gupta AD, Noordhof C, Jefferson L, McNaughton AJM, Bick AG, Pauciulo MW, Nichols WC, Chung WK, Hassoun PM, Damico RL, Rauh MJ, Archer SL. Germline and Somatic Mutations in DNA Methyltransferase 3A (DNMT3A) Predispose to Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension (PAH) in Humans and Mice: Implications for Associated PAH. MEDRXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR HEALTH SCIENCES 2023:2023.12.30.23300391. [PMID: 38234783 PMCID: PMC10793539 DOI: 10.1101/2023.12.30.23300391] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/19/2024]
Abstract
Background Mutations are found in 10-20% of idiopathic PAH (IPAH) patients, but none are consistently identified in connective tissue disease-associated PAH (APAH), which accounts for ∼45% of PAH cases. TET2 mutations, a cause of clonal hematopoiesis of indeterminant potential (CHIP), predispose to an inflammatory type of PAH. We now examine mutations in another CHIP gene, DNMT3A , in PAH. Methods We assessed DNMT3A mutation prevalence in PAH Biobank subjects as compared with controls, first using whole exome sequencing (WES)-derived CHIP calls in 1832 PAH Biobank patients versus 7509 age-and sex-matched gnomAD controls. We then performed deep, targeted panel sequencing of CHIP genes on a subset of 710 PAH Biobank patients and compared the prevalence of DNMT3A mutations therein to an independent pooled control cohort (N = 3645). In another cohort of 80 PAH patients and 41 controls, DNMT3A mRNA expression was studied in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs). Finally, we evaluated the development of PAH in a conditional, hematopoietic, Dnmt3a knockout mouse model. Results DNMT3A mutations were more frequent in PAH cases versus control subjects in the WES dataset (OR 2.60, 95% CI: 1.71-4.27). Among PAH patients, 33 had DNMT3A variants, most of whom had APAH (21/33). While 21/33 had somatic mutations (female:male 17:4), germline variants occurred in 12/33 (female:male 11:1). Hemodynamics were comparable with and without DNMT3A mutations (mPAP=58±21 vs. 52±18 mmHg); however, patients with DNMT3A mutations were unresponsive to acute vasodilator testing. Targeted panel sequencing identified that 14.6% of PAH patients had CHIP mutations (104/710), with DNMT3A accounting for 49/104. There was a significant association between all CHIP mutations and PAH in analyses adjusted for age and sex (OR 1.40, 95% CI: 1.09-1.80), though DNMT3A CHIP alone was not significantly enriched (OR:1.15, 0.82-1.61). DNMT3A expression was reduced in patient-derived versus control PAH-PBMCs. Spontaneous PAH developed in Dnmt3a -/- mice, and it was exacerbated by 3 weeks of hypoxia. Dnmt3a -/- mice had increased lung macrophages and elevated plasma IL-13. The IL-1β antibody canakinumab attenuated PAH in Dnmt3a -/- mice. Conclusions Germline and acquired DNMT3A variants predispose to PAH in humans. DNMT3A mRNA expression is reduced in human PAH PBMCs. Hematopoietic depletion of Dnmt3a causes inflammatory PAH in mice. DNMT3A is a novel APAH gene and may be a biomarker and therapeutic target.
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Ko J, Noviani M, Chellamuthu VR, Albani S, Low AHL. The Pathogenesis of Systemic Sclerosis: The Origin of Fibrosis and Interlink with Vasculopathy and Autoimmunity. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:14287. [PMID: 37762589 PMCID: PMC10532389 DOI: 10.3390/ijms241814287] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/10/2023] [Revised: 09/05/2023] [Accepted: 09/13/2023] [Indexed: 09/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Systemic sclerosis (SSc) is an autoimmune disease associated with increased mortality and poor morbidity, impairing the quality of life in patients. Whilst we know that SSc affects multiple organs via vasculopathy, inflammation, and fibrosis, its exact pathophysiology remains elusive. Microvascular injury and vasculopathy are the initial pathological features of the disease. Clinically, the vasculopathy in SSc is manifested as Raynaud's phenomenon (reversible vasospasm in reaction to the cold or emotional stress) and digital ulcers due to ischemic injury. There are several reports that medications for vasculopathy, such as bosentan and soluble guanylate cyclase (sGC) modulators, improve not only vasculopathy but also dermal fibrosis, suggesting that vasculopathy is important in SSc. Although vasculopathy is an important initial step of the pathogenesis for SSc, it is still unclear how vasculopathy is related to inflammation and fibrosis. In this review, we focused on the clinical evidence for vasculopathy, the major cellular players for the pathogenesis, including pericytes, adipocytes, endothelial cells (ECs), and myofibroblasts, and their signaling pathway to elucidate the relationship among vasculopathy, inflammation, and fibrosis in SSc.
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Affiliation(s)
- Junsuk Ko
- Duke-National University of Singapore Medical School, Singapore 169857, Singapore; (J.K.); (M.N.); (S.A.)
| | - Maria Noviani
- Duke-National University of Singapore Medical School, Singapore 169857, Singapore; (J.K.); (M.N.); (S.A.)
- Department of Rheumatology and Immunology, Singapore General Hospital, Singapore 169608, Singapore
- Translational Immunology Institute, SingHealth Duke-National University of Singapore Academic Medical Centre, Singapore 169856, Singapore;
| | - Vasuki Ranjani Chellamuthu
- Translational Immunology Institute, SingHealth Duke-National University of Singapore Academic Medical Centre, Singapore 169856, Singapore;
| | - Salvatore Albani
- Duke-National University of Singapore Medical School, Singapore 169857, Singapore; (J.K.); (M.N.); (S.A.)
- Translational Immunology Institute, SingHealth Duke-National University of Singapore Academic Medical Centre, Singapore 169856, Singapore;
| | - Andrea Hsiu Ling Low
- Duke-National University of Singapore Medical School, Singapore 169857, Singapore; (J.K.); (M.N.); (S.A.)
- Department of Rheumatology and Immunology, Singapore General Hospital, Singapore 169608, Singapore
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The physical exercise-induced oxidative/inflammatory response in peripheral blood mononuclear cells: Signaling cellular energetic stress situations. Life Sci 2023; 321:121440. [PMID: 36921686 DOI: 10.1016/j.lfs.2023.121440] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/04/2022] [Revised: 01/14/2023] [Accepted: 01/22/2023] [Indexed: 03/14/2023]
Abstract
Peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) are a variety of specialized immune cells produced in the bone marrow from hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) that work together to protect our bodies from harmful pathogens. From a metabolic point of view, these cells can serve as sentinel tissue source for distinguishing multiple types of whole-body physiological perturbations. The significant interaction of PBMCs with systemic physiology makes these cells an attractive target for several interventions such as physical exercise. Analyses of oxidative/inflammatory and metabolic markers of PBMCs obtained from unhealthy and healthy humans have been used in monitoring immune response in different exercise conditions. It is already a common consensus that regular practice of physical exercise, that is planned, structured, and repetitive, influences personal health by altering the metabolic state and the immune system. However, the role of distinct metabolic processes responsible for maintaining metabolic balance during physical exercise in PBMCs is not fully understood. Furthermore, a complete dose-response analysis between different exercise protocols and biomarkers capable of predicting physical performance needs to be better elucidated. The absence of published reviews on this topic compromises the understanding of the crosstalk between the metabolic adaptations of PBMCs and exercise-induced changes in the immune system. Given the above, this review highlights the main findings in the literature involving the responses of PBMCs in the inflammatory/oxidative stress induced by physical exercise. The present review also highlights how distinct phenotypes and functional diversity of PBMCs make these cells an accessible alternative for assessing exercise-induced metabolic adaptations.
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Differentially expressed genes in systemic sclerosis: Towards predictive medicine with new molecular tools for clinicians. Autoimmun Rev 2023; 22:103314. [PMID: 36918090 DOI: 10.1016/j.autrev.2023.103314] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/23/2023] [Accepted: 03/09/2023] [Indexed: 03/13/2023]
Abstract
Systemic sclerosis (SSc) is a rare and chronic autoimmune disease characterized by a pathogenic triad of immune dysregulation, vasculopathy, and progressive fibrosis. Clinical tools commonly used to assess patients, such as the modified Rodnan skin score, difference between limited or diffuse forms of skin involvement, presence of lung, heart or kidney involvement, or of various autoantibodies, are important prognostic factors, but still fail to reflect the large heterogeneity of the disease. SSc treatment options are diverse, ranging from conventional drugs to autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation, and predicting response is challenging. Genome-wide technologies, such as high throughput microarray analyses and RNA sequencing, allow accurate, unbiased, and broad assessment of alterations in expression levels of multiple genes. In recent years, many studies have shown robust changes in the gene expression profiles of SSc patients compared to healthy controls, mainly in skin tissues and peripheral blood cells. The objective analysis of molecular patterns in SSc is a powerful tool that can further classify SSc patients with similar clinical phenotypes and help predict response to therapy. In this review, we describe the journey from the first discovery of differentially expressed genes to the identification of enriched pathways and intrinsic subsets identified in SSc, using machine learning algorithms. Finally, we discuss the use of these new tools to predict the efficacy of various treatments, including stem cell transplantation. We suggest that the use of RNA gene expression-based classifications according to molecular subsets may bring us one step closer to precision medicine in Systemic Sclerosis.
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Burska A, Rodríguez-Carrio J, Biesen R, Dik WA, Eloranta ML, Cavalli G, Visser M, Boumpas DT, Bertsias G, Wahren-Herlenius M, Rehwinkel J, Frémond ML, Crow MK, Ronnblom L, Conaghan PG, Versnel M, Vital E. Type I interferon pathway assays in studies of rheumatic and musculoskeletal diseases: a systematic literature review informing EULAR points to consider. RMD Open 2023; 9:e002876. [PMID: 36863752 PMCID: PMC9990675 DOI: 10.1136/rmdopen-2022-002876] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/18/2022] [Accepted: 02/08/2023] [Indexed: 03/04/2023] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVES To systematically review the literature for assay methods that aim to evaluate type I interferon (IFN-I) pathway activation and to harmonise-related terminology. METHODS Three databases were searched for reports of IFN-I and rheumatic musculoskeletal diseases. Information about the performance metrics of assays measuring IFN-I and measures of truth were extracted and summarised. A EULAR task force panel assessed feasibility and developed consensus terminology. RESULTS Of 10 037 abstracts, 276 fulfilled eligibility criteria for data extraction. Some reported more than one technique to measure IFN-I pathway activation. Hence, 276 papers generated data on 412 methods. IFN-I pathway activation was measured using: qPCR (n=121), immunoassays (n=101), microarray (n=69), reporter cell assay (n=38), DNA methylation (n=14), flow cytometry (n=14), cytopathic effect assay (n=11), RNA sequencing (n=9), plaque reduction assay (n=8), Nanostring (n=5), bisulphite sequencing (n=3). Principles of each assay are summarised for content validity. Concurrent validity (correlation with other IFN assays) was presented for n=150/412 assays. Reliability data were variable and provided for 13 assays. Gene expression and immunoassays were considered most feasible. Consensus terminology to define different aspects of IFN-I research and practice was produced. CONCLUSIONS Diverse methods have been reported as IFN-I assays and these differ in what elements or aspects of IFN-I pathway activation they measure and how. No 'gold standard' represents the entirety of the IFN pathway, some may not be specific for IFN-I. Data on reliability or comparing assays were limited, and feasibility is a challenge for many assays. Consensus terminology should improve consistency of reporting.
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Affiliation(s)
- Agata Burska
- Leeds Institute of Rheumatic and Musculoskeletal Medicine, University of Leeds & NIHR Leeds Biomedical Research Centre, Leeds, UK
| | - Javier Rodríguez-Carrio
- University of Oviedo, Area of Immunology, Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria del Principado de Asturias (ISPA), Oviedo, Spain
| | - Robert Biesen
- Charité University Medicine Berlin, Department of Rheumatology, Berlin, Germany
| | - Willem A Dik
- Erasmus MC, University Medical Center Rotterdam, Laboratory Medical Immunology, Department of Immunology, Rotterdam, Netherlands Immunology, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Maija-Leena Eloranta
- Uppsala University, Department of Medical Sciences, Rheumatology, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Giulio Cavalli
- Unit of Immunology, Rheumatology, Allergy and Rare Diseases, Vita-Salute San Raffaele University, Milan, Italy
- EULAR, PARE Patient Research Partners, Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | - Marianne Visser
- University of Crete, Medical School, Department of Internal Medicine, Heraklion, Greece
| | - Dimitrios T Boumpas
- University of Crete, Medical School, Department of Rheumatology-Clinical Immunology, Heraklion, Greece
| | - George Bertsias
- University of Crete, Medical School, Department of Rheumatology-Clinical Immunology, Heraklion, Greece
| | - Marie Wahren-Herlenius
- Karolinska Institutet, Division of Rheumatology, Stockholm, Sweden
- Broegelmann Research Laboratory, Department of Clinical Science, University of Bergen, Norway
| | - Jan Rehwinkel
- Medical Research Council Human Immunology Unit, Medical Research Council Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine, Radcliffe Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, UK
| | - Marie-Louise Frémond
- Université de Paris Cité, Hôpital Necker-Enfants Malades, Immuno-Hématologie et Rhumatologie pédiatriques, Paris, France
| | - Mary K Crow
- Hospital for Special Surgery, Weill Cornell Medical College, Mary Kirkland Center for Lupus Research, New York, USA
| | - Lars Ronnblom
- Uppsala University, Department of Medical Sciences, Rheumatology, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - P G Conaghan
- Leeds Institute of Rheumatic and Musculoskeletal Medicine, University of Leeds & NIHR Leeds Biomedical Research Centre, Leeds, UK
| | - Marjan Versnel
- Erasmus MC, Department of Immunology, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Ed Vital
- Leeds Institute of Rheumatic and Musculoskeletal Medicine, University of Leeds & NIHR Leeds Biomedical Research Centre, Leeds, UK
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10
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Rodríguez-Carrio J, Burska A, Conaghan PG, Dik WA, Biesen R, Eloranta ML, Cavalli G, Visser M, Boumpas DT, Bertsias G, Wahren-Herlenius M, Rehwinkel J, Frémond ML, Crow MK, Ronnblom L, Vital E, Versnel M. Association between type I interferon pathway activation and clinical outcomes in rheumatic and musculoskeletal diseases: a systematic literature review informing EULAR points to consider. RMD Open 2023; 9:e002864. [PMID: 36882218 PMCID: PMC10008483 DOI: 10.1136/rmdopen-2022-002864] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/14/2022] [Accepted: 02/13/2023] [Indexed: 03/09/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Type I interferons (IFN-I) contribute to a broad range of rheumatic and musculoskeletal diseases (RMDs). Compelling evidence suggests that the measurement of IFN-I pathway activation may have clinical value. Although several IFN-I pathway assays have been proposed, the exact clinical applications are unclear. We summarise the evidence on the potential clinical utility of assays measuring IFN-I pathway activation. METHODS A systematic literature review was conducted across three databases to evaluate the use of IFN-I assays in diagnosis and monitor disease activity, prognosis, response to treatment and responsiveness to change in several RMDs. RESULTS Of 366 screened, 276 studies were selected that reported the use of assays reflecting IFN-I pathway activation for disease diagnosis (n=188), assessment of disease activity (n=122), prognosis (n=20), response to treatment (n=23) and assay responsiveness (n=59). Immunoassays, quantitative PCR (qPCR) and microarrays were reported most frequently, while systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), rheumatoid arthritis, myositis, systemic sclerosis and primary Sjögren's syndrome were the most studied RMDs. The literature demonstrated significant heterogeneity in techniques, analytical conditions, risk of bias and application in diseases. Inadequate study designs and technical heterogeneity were the main limitations. IFN-I pathway activation was associated with disease activity and flare occurrence in SLE, but their incremental value was uncertain. IFN-I pathway activation may predict response to IFN-I targeting therapies and may predict response to different treatments. CONCLUSIONS Evidence indicates potential clinical value of assays measuring IFN-I pathway activation in several RMDs, but assay harmonisation and clinical validation are urged. This review informs the EULAR points to consider for the measurement and reporting of IFN-I pathway assays.
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Affiliation(s)
- Javier Rodríguez-Carrio
- Area of Immunology, University of Oviedo, Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria del Principado de Asturias (ISPA), Asturias, Spain
| | - Agata Burska
- Leeds Institute of Rheumatic and Musculoskeletal Medicine, University of Leeds & NIHR Leeds Biomedical Research Centre, Leeds, UK
| | - P G Conaghan
- Leeds Institute of Rheumatic and Musculoskeletal Medicine, University of Leeds & NIHR Leeds Biomedical Research Centre, Leeds, UK
| | - Willem A Dik
- Laboratory Medical Immunology, department of Immunology, Erasmus MC University Medical Center Rotterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Robert Biesen
- Department of Rheumatology, Charité University Medicine Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Maija-Leena Eloranta
- Department of Medical Sciences, Rheumatology, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Giulio Cavalli
- Unit of Immunology, Rheumatology, Allergy and Rare Diseases, Vita-Salute San Raffaele University, Milan, Italy
| | - Marianne Visser
- EULAR, PARE Patient Research Partners, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Dimitrios T Boumpas
- Department of Internal Medicine, University of Crete, Medical School, Heraklion, Greece
| | - George Bertsias
- Department of Rheumatology-Clinical Immunology, University of Crete, Medical School, Heraklion, Greece
| | - Marie Wahren-Herlenius
- Karolinska Institutet, Division of Rheumatology, Stockholm, Sweden
- Broegelmann Research Laboratory, Department of Clinical Science, University of Bergen, Norway
| | - Jan Rehwinkel
- Medical Research Council Human Immunology Unit, Medical Research Council Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine, Radcliffe Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, UK
| | - Marie-Louise Frémond
- Université de Paris Cité, Hôpital Necker-Enfants Malades, Immuno-Hématologie et Rhumatologie pédiatriques, Paris, France
| | - Mary K Crow
- Hospital for Special Surgery, Weill Cornell Medical College, Mary Kirkland Center for Lupus Research, New York, USA
| | - Lars Ronnblom
- Department of Medical Sciences, Rheumatology, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Ed Vital
- Leeds Institute of Rheumatic and Musculoskeletal Medicine, University of Leeds & NIHR Leeds Biomedical Research Centre, Leeds, UK
| | - Marjan Versnel
- Department of Immunology, Erasmus MC University Medical Center Rotterdam, The Netherlands
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11
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The critical importance of epigenetics in autoimmune-related skin diseases. Front Med 2023; 17:43-57. [PMID: 36811762 DOI: 10.1007/s11684-022-0980-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/15/2022] [Accepted: 12/05/2022] [Indexed: 02/24/2023]
Abstract
Autoimmune-related skin diseases are a group of disorders with diverse etiology and pathophysiology involved in autoimmunity. Genetics and environmental factors may contribute to the development of these autoimmune disorders. Although the etiology and pathogenesis of these disorders are poorly understood, environmental variables that induce aberrant epigenetic regulations may provide some insights. Epigenetics is the study of heritable mechanisms that regulate gene expression without changing DNA sequences. The most important epigenetic mechanisms are DNA methylation, histone modification, and noncoding RNAs. In this review, we discuss the most recent findings regarding the function of epigenetic mechanisms in autoimmune-related skin disorders, including systemic lupus erythematosus, bullous skin diseases, psoriasis, and systemic sclerosis. These findings will expand our understanding and highlight the possible clinical applications of precision epigenetics approaches.
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12
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Moccaldi B, De Michieli L, Binda M, Famoso G, Depascale R, Perazzolo Marra M, Doria A, Zanatta E. Serum Biomarkers in Connective Tissue Disease-Associated Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:ijms24044178. [PMID: 36835590 PMCID: PMC9967966 DOI: 10.3390/ijms24044178] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/30/2022] [Revised: 02/13/2023] [Accepted: 02/16/2023] [Indexed: 02/22/2023] Open
Abstract
Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is a life-threatening complication of connective tissue diseases (CTDs) characterised by increased pulmonary arterial pressure and pulmonary vascular resistance. CTD-PAH is the result of a complex interplay among endothelial dysfunction and vascular remodelling, autoimmunity and inflammatory changes, ultimately leading to right heart dysfunction and failure. Due to the non-specific nature of the early symptoms and the lack of consensus on screening strategies-except for systemic sclerosis, with a yearly transthoracic echocardiography as recommended-CTD-PAH is often diagnosed at an advanced stage, when the pulmonary vessels are irreversibly damaged. According to the current guidelines, right heart catheterisation is the gold standard for the diagnosis of PAH; however, this technique is invasive, and may not be available in non-referral centres. Hence, there is a need for non-invasive tools to improve the early diagnosis and disease monitoring of CTD-PAH. Novel serum biomarkers may be an effective solution to this issue, as their detection is non-invasive, has a low cost and is reproducible. Our review aims to describe some of the most promising circulating biomarkers of CTD-PAH, classified according to their role in the pathophysiology of the disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Beatrice Moccaldi
- Rheumatology Unit, Department of Medicine-DIMED, Padova University Hospital, 35128 Padova, Italy
| | - Laura De Michieli
- Department of Cardiac, Thoracic, Vascular Sciences and Public Health, Padova University Hospital, 35128 Padova, Italy
| | - Marco Binda
- Rheumatology Unit, Department of Medicine-DIMED, Padova University Hospital, 35128 Padova, Italy
| | - Giulia Famoso
- Department of Cardiac, Thoracic, Vascular Sciences and Public Health, Padova University Hospital, 35128 Padova, Italy
| | - Roberto Depascale
- Rheumatology Unit, Department of Medicine-DIMED, Padova University Hospital, 35128 Padova, Italy
| | - Martina Perazzolo Marra
- Department of Cardiac, Thoracic, Vascular Sciences and Public Health, Padova University Hospital, 35128 Padova, Italy
| | - Andrea Doria
- Rheumatology Unit, Department of Medicine-DIMED, Padova University Hospital, 35128 Padova, Italy
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +39-0498212190
| | - Elisabetta Zanatta
- Rheumatology Unit, Department of Medicine-DIMED, Padova University Hospital, 35128 Padova, Italy
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13
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Allen PC, Smith S, Wilson RC, Wirth JR, Wilson NH, Baker Frost D, Flume J, Gilkeson GS, Cunningham MA, Langefeld CD, Absher DM, Ramos PS. Distinct genome-wide DNA methylation and gene expression signatures in classical monocytes from African American patients with systemic sclerosis. Clin Epigenetics 2023; 15:25. [PMID: 36803404 PMCID: PMC9938585 DOI: 10.1186/s13148-023-01445-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/06/2022] [Accepted: 02/08/2023] [Indexed: 02/19/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Systemic sclerosis (SSc) is a multisystem autoimmune disorder that has an unclear etiology and disproportionately affects women and African Americans. Despite this, African Americans are dramatically underrepresented in SSc research. Additionally, monocytes show heightened activation in SSc and in African Americans relative to European Americans. In this study, we sought to investigate DNA methylation and gene expression patterns in classical monocytes in a health disparity population. METHODS Classical monocytes (CD14+ + CD16-) were FACS-isolated from 34 self-reported African American women. Samples from 12 SSc patients and 12 healthy controls were hybridized on MethylationEPIC BeadChip array, while RNA-seq was performed on 16 SSc patients and 18 healthy controls. Analyses were computed to identify differentially methylated CpGs (DMCs), differentially expressed genes (DEGs), and CpGs associated with changes in gene expression (eQTM analysis). RESULTS We observed modest DNA methylation and gene expression differences between cases and controls. The genes harboring the top DMCs, the top DEGs, as well as the top eQTM loci were enriched for metabolic processes. Genes involved in immune processes and pathways showed a weak upregulation in the transcriptomic analysis. While many genes were newly identified, several other have been previously reported as differentially methylated or expressed in different blood cells from patients with SSc, supporting for their potential dysregulation in SSc. CONCLUSIONS While contrasting with results found in other blood cell types in largely European-descent groups, the results of this study support that variation in DNA methylation and gene expression exists among different cell types and individuals of different genetic, clinical, social, and environmental backgrounds. This finding supports the importance of including diverse, well-characterized patients to understand the different roles of DNA methylation and gene expression variability in the dysregulation of classical monocytes in diverse populations, which might help explaining the health disparities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peter C Allen
- Department of Genetics, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, USA
- HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology, Huntsville, AL, USA
| | - Sarah Smith
- Department of Medicine, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, USA
| | - Robert C Wilson
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, USA
| | - Jena R Wirth
- Department of Medicine, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, USA
| | - Nathan H Wilson
- Department of Medicine, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, USA
| | - DeAnna Baker Frost
- Department of Medicine, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, USA
| | - Jonathan Flume
- Department of Medicine, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, USA
| | - Gary S Gilkeson
- Department of Medicine, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, USA
| | - Melissa A Cunningham
- Department of Medicine, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, USA
| | - Carl D Langefeld
- Department of Biostatistics and Data Science, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC, USA
- Center for Precision Medicine, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC, USA
| | - Devin M Absher
- HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology, Huntsville, AL, USA
| | - Paula S Ramos
- Department of Medicine, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, USA.
- Department of Public Health Sciences, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, USA.
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14
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Fioretto BS, Rosa I, Matucci-Cerinic M, Romano E, Manetti M. Current Trends in Vascular Biomarkers for Systemic Sclerosis: A Narrative Review. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:ijms24044097. [PMID: 36835506 PMCID: PMC9965592 DOI: 10.3390/ijms24044097] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/27/2023] [Revised: 02/13/2023] [Accepted: 02/16/2023] [Indexed: 02/22/2023] Open
Abstract
Systemic sclerosis (SSc, scleroderma) is a multifaceted rare connective tissue disease whose pathogenesis is dominated by immune dysregulation, small vessel vasculopathy, impaired angiogenesis, and both cutaneous and visceral fibrosis. Microvascular impairment represents the initial event of the disease, preceding fibrosis by months or years and accounting for the main disabling and/or life-threatening clinical manifestations, including telangiectasias, pitting scars, periungual microvascular abnormalities (e.g., giant capillaries, hemorrhages, avascular areas, ramified/bushy capillaries) clinically detectable by nailfold videocapillaroscopy, ischemic digital ulcers, pulmonary arterial hypertension, and scleroderma renal crisis. Despite a variety of available treatment options, treatment of SSc-related vascular disease remains problematic, even considering SSc etherogenity and the quite narrow therapeutic window. In this context, plenty of studies have highlighted the great usefulness in clinical practice of vascular biomarkers allowing clinicians to assess the evolution of the pathological process affecting the vessels, as well as to predict the prognosis and the response to therapy. The current narrative review provides an up-to-date overview of the main candidate vascular biomarkers that have been proposed for SSc, focusing on their main reported associations with characteristic clinical vascular features of the disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bianca Saveria Fioretto
- Section of Anatomy and Histology, Department of Experimental and Clinical Medicine, University of Florence, 50134 Florence, Italy
| | - Irene Rosa
- Section of Anatomy and Histology, Department of Experimental and Clinical Medicine, University of Florence, 50134 Florence, Italy
| | - Marco Matucci-Cerinic
- Section of Internal Medicine, Department of Experimental and Clinical Medicine, University of Florence, 50134 Florence, Italy
- Unit of Immunology, Rheumatology, Allergy and Rare Diseases (UnIRAR), IRCCS San Raffaele Hospital, 20132 Milan, Italy
| | - Eloisa Romano
- Section of Internal Medicine, Department of Experimental and Clinical Medicine, University of Florence, 50134 Florence, Italy
| | - Mirko Manetti
- Section of Anatomy and Histology, Department of Experimental and Clinical Medicine, University of Florence, 50134 Florence, Italy
- Imaging Platform, Department of Experimental and Clinical Medicine, University of Florence, 50134 Florence, Italy
- Correspondence:
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15
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Bhandari R, Yang H, Kosarek NN, Smith AE, Garlick JA, Hinchcliff M, Whitfield ML, Pioli PA. Human dermal fibroblast-derived exosomes induce macrophage activation in systemic sclerosis. Rheumatology (Oxford) 2023; 62:SI114-SI124. [PMID: 35946522 PMCID: PMC9910573 DOI: 10.1093/rheumatology/keac453] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/02/2021] [Revised: 07/29/2022] [Accepted: 07/29/2022] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVES Prior work demonstrates that co-cultured macrophages and fibroblasts from patients with SSc engage in reciprocal activation. However, the mechanism by which these cell types communicate and contribute to fibrosis and inflammation in SSc is unknown. METHODS Fibroblasts were isolated from skin biopsies obtained from 7 SSc patients or 6 healthy age and gender-matched control subjects following written informed consent. Human donor-derived macrophages were cultured with exosomes isolated from control or SSc fibroblasts for an additional 48 h. Macrophages were immunophenotyped using flow cytometry, qRT-PCR and multiplex. For mutual activation studies, exosome-activated macrophages were co-cultured with SSc or healthy fibroblasts using Transwells. RESULTS Macrophages activated with dermal fibroblast-derived exosomes from SSc patients upregulated surface expression of CD163, CD206, MHC Class II and CD16 and secreted increased levels of IL-6, IL-10, IL-12p40 and TNF compared with macrophages incubated with healthy control fibroblasts (n = 7, P < 0.05). Exosome-stimulated macrophages and SSc fibroblasts engaged in reciprocal activation, as production of collagen and fibronectin was significantly increased in SSc fibroblasts receiving signals from SSc exosome-stimulated macrophages (n = 7, P < 0.05). CONCLUSION In this work, we demonstrate for the first time that human SSc dermal fibroblasts mediate macrophage activation through exosomes. Our findings suggest that macrophages and fibroblasts engage in cross-talk in SSc skin, resulting in mutual activation, inflammation, and extracellular matrix (ECM) deposition. Collectively, these studies implicate macrophages and fibroblasts as cooperative mediators of fibrosis in SSc and suggest therapeutic targeting of both cell types may provide maximal benefit in ameliorating disease in SSc patients.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Heetaek Yang
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology
- Department of Biomedical Data Science, Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, Lebanon, NH
| | - Noelle N Kosarek
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology
- Department of Biomedical Data Science, Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, Lebanon, NH
| | - Avi E Smith
- Department of Diagnostic Science, Tufts University School of Dental Medicine, Boston, MA
| | - Jonathan A Garlick
- Department of Diagnostic Science, Tufts University School of Dental Medicine, Boston, MA
| | - Monique Hinchcliff
- Division of Rheumatology, Allergy, and Immunology, Department of Internal Medicine, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Michael L Whitfield
- Department of Biomedical Data Science, Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, Lebanon, NH
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16
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Muntyanu A, Le M, Ridha Z, O’Brien E, Litvinov IV, Lefrançois P, Netchiporouk E. Novel role of long non-coding RNAs in autoimmune cutaneous disease. J Cell Commun Signal 2022; 16:487-504. [PMID: 34346026 PMCID: PMC9733767 DOI: 10.1007/s12079-021-00639-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/06/2021] [Accepted: 07/22/2021] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Systemic autoimmune rheumatic diseases (SARDs) are a heterogeneous group of chronic multisystem inflammatory disorders that are thought to have a complex pathophysiology, which is not yet fully understood. Recently, the role of non-coding RNAs, including long non-coding RNA (lncRNA), has been of particular interest in the pathogenesis of SARDs. We aimed to summarize the potential roles of lncRNA in SARDs affecting the skin including, systemic sclerosis (SSc), dermatomyositis (DM) and cutaneous lupus erythematosus (CLE). We conducted a narrative review summarizing original articles published until July 19, 2021, regarding lncRNA associated with SSc, DM, and CLE. Several lncRNAs were hypothesized to play an important role in disease pathogenesis of SSc, DM and CLE. In SSc, Negative Regulator of IFN Response (NRIR) was thought to modulate Interferon (IFN) response in monocytes, anti-sense gene to X-inactivation specific transcript (TSIX) to regulate increased collagen stability, HOX transcript antisense RNA (HOTAIR) to increase numbers of myofibroblasts, OTUD6B-Anti-Sense RNA 1 to decrease fibroblast apoptosis, ncRNA00201 to regulate pathways in SSc pathogenesis and carcinogenesis, H19X potentiating TGF-β-driven extracellular matrix production, and finally PSMB8-AS1 potentiates IFN response. In DM, linc-DGCR6-1 expression was hypothesized to target the USP18 protein, a type 1 IFN-inducible protein that is considered a key regulator of IFN signaling. Additionally, AL136018.1 is suggested to regulate the expression Cathepsin G, which increases the permeability of vascular endothelial cells and the chemotaxis of inflammatory cells in peripheral blood and muscle tissue in DM. Lastly, lnc-MIPOL1-6 and lnc-DDX47-3 in discoid CLE were thought to be associated with the expression of chemokines, which are significant in Th1 mediated disease. In this review, we summarize the key lncRNAs that may drive pathogenesis of these connective tissue diseases and could potentially serve as therapeutic targets in the future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anastasiya Muntyanu
- Division Dermatology, McGill University Health Centre, 1650 Cedar Ave, Montreal, QC H3G 1A4 Canada
| | - Michelle Le
- Division Dermatology, McGill University Health Centre, 1650 Cedar Ave, Montreal, QC H3G 1A4 Canada
| | - Zainab Ridha
- Faculty of Medicine, Université de Laval, Québec, QC Canada
| | - Elizabeth O’Brien
- Division Dermatology, McGill University Health Centre, 1650 Cedar Ave, Montreal, QC H3G 1A4 Canada
| | - Ivan V. Litvinov
- Division Dermatology, McGill University Health Centre, 1650 Cedar Ave, Montreal, QC H3G 1A4 Canada
| | - Philippe Lefrançois
- Division Dermatology, McGill University Health Centre, 1650 Cedar Ave, Montreal, QC H3G 1A4 Canada
| | - Elena Netchiporouk
- Division Dermatology, McGill University Health Centre, 1650 Cedar Ave, Montreal, QC H3G 1A4 Canada
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17
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Xu J, Liang C, Li J. A signal recognition particle-related joint model of LASSO regression, SVM-RFE and artificial neural network for the diagnosis of systemic sclerosis-associated pulmonary hypertension. Front Genet 2022; 13:1078200. [PMID: 36518216 PMCID: PMC9742487 DOI: 10.3389/fgene.2022.1078200] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/24/2022] [Accepted: 11/17/2022] [Indexed: 08/18/2023] Open
Abstract
Background: Systemic sclerosis-associated pulmonary hypertension (SSc-PH) is one of the most common causes of death in patients with systemic sclerosis (SSc). The complexity of SSc-PH and the heterogeneity of clinical features in SSc-PH patients contribute to the difficulty of diagnosis. Therefore, there is a pressing need to develop and optimize models for the diagnosis of SSc-PH. Signal recognition particle (SRP) deficiency has been found to promote the progression of multiple cancers, but the relationship between SRP and SSc-PH has not been explored. Methods: First, we obtained the GSE19617 and GSE33463 datasets from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database as the training set, GSE22356 as the test set, and the SRP-related gene set from the MSigDB database. Next, we identified differentially expressed SRP-related genes (DE-SRPGs) and performed unsupervised clustering and gene enrichment analyses. Then, we used least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) regression and support vector machine-recursive feature elimination (SVM-RFE) to identify SRP-related diagnostic genes (SRP-DGs). We constructed an SRP scoring system and a nomogram model based on the SRP-DGs and established an artificial neural network (ANN) for diagnosis. We used receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves to identify the SRP-related signature in the training and test sets. Finally, we analyzed immune features, signaling pathways, and drugs associated with SRP and investigated SRP-DGs' functions using single gene batch correlation analysis-based GSEA. Results: We obtained 30 DE-SRPGs and found that they were enriched in functions and pathways such as "protein targeting to ER," "cytosolic ribosome," and "coronavirus disease-COVID-19". Subsequently, we identified seven SRP-DGs whose expression levels and diagnostic efficacy were validated in the test set. As one signature, the area under the ROC curve (AUC) values for seven SRP-DGs were 0.769 and 1.000 in the training and test sets, respectively. Predictions made using the nomogram model are likely beneficial for SSc-PH patients. The AUC values of the ANN were 0.999 and 0.860 in the training and test sets, respectively. Finally, we discovered that some immune cells and pathways, such as activated dendritic cells, complement activation, and heme metabolism, were significantly associated with SRP-DGs and identified ten drugs targeting SRP-DGs. Conclusion: We constructed a reliable SRP-related ANN model for the diagnosis of SSc-PH and investigated the possible role of SRP in the etiopathogenesis of SSc-PH by bioinformatics methods to provide a basis for precision and personalized medicine.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jingxi Xu
- North Sichuan Medical College, Nanchong, China
- Department of Rheumatology and Immunology, The First People’s Hospital of Yibin, Yibin, China
| | - Chaoyang Liang
- Department of Rheumatology and Immunology, The First People’s Hospital of Yibin, Yibin, China
| | - Jiangtao Li
- Department of Rheumatology and Immunology, The First People’s Hospital of Yibin, Yibin, China
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18
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Höppner J, Casteleyn V, Biesen R, Rose T, Windisch W, Burmester GR, Siegert E. SIGLEC-1 in Systemic Sclerosis: A Useful Biomarker for Differential Diagnosis. Pharmaceuticals (Basel) 2022; 15:1198. [PMID: 36297311 PMCID: PMC9610402 DOI: 10.3390/ph15101198] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/07/2022] [Revised: 09/22/2022] [Accepted: 09/24/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Systemic Sclerosis (SSc) is a clinically heterogeneous disease that includes an upregulation of type I interferons (IFNs). The aim of this observational study was to investigate the IFN-regulated protein Sialic Acid−Binding Ig-like Lectin 1 (SIGLEC-1) as a biomarker for disease phenotype, therapeutic response, and differential diagnosis in SSc. Levels of SIGLEC-1 expression on monocytes of 203 SSc patients were determined in a cross-sectional and longitudinal analysis using multicolor flow cytometry, then compared to 119 patients with other rheumatic diseases and 13 healthy controls. SSc patients higher SIGLEC-1 expression on monocytes (2097.94 ± 2134.39) than HCs (1167.45 ± 380.93; p = 0.49), but significantly lower levels than SLE (8761.66 ± 8325.74; p < 0.001) and MCTD (6414.50 ± 1846.55; p < 0.001) patients. A positive SIGELC-1 signature was associated with reduced forced expiratory volume (p = 0.007); however, we were unable to find an association with fibrotic or vascular disease manifestations. SIGLEC-1 remained stable over time and was independent of changes in immunosuppressive therapy. However, SIGLEC-1 is suitable for differentiating SSc from other connective tissue diseases. SIGLEC-1 expression on monocytes can be useful in the differential diagnosis of connective tissue disease but not as a biomarker for SSc disease manifestations or activity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jakob Höppner
- Department of Rheumatology and Clinical Immunology, Charité—Universitätsmedizin Berlin, 10117 Berlin, Germany
- Department of Pulmonology, Cologne Merheim Hospital, Kliniken der Stadt Köln gGmbH, Witten/Herdecke University, 51067 Cologne, Germany
| | - Vincent Casteleyn
- Department of Rheumatology and Clinical Immunology, Charité—Universitätsmedizin Berlin, 10117 Berlin, Germany
| | - Robert Biesen
- Department of Rheumatology and Clinical Immunology, Charité—Universitätsmedizin Berlin, 10117 Berlin, Germany
| | - Thomas Rose
- Department of Rheumatology and Clinical Immunology, Charité—Universitätsmedizin Berlin, 10117 Berlin, Germany
| | - Wolfram Windisch
- Department of Pulmonology, Cologne Merheim Hospital, Kliniken der Stadt Köln gGmbH, Witten/Herdecke University, 51067 Cologne, Germany
| | - Gerd Rüdiger Burmester
- Department of Rheumatology and Clinical Immunology, Charité—Universitätsmedizin Berlin, 10117 Berlin, Germany
| | - Elise Siegert
- Department of Rheumatology and Clinical Immunology, Charité—Universitätsmedizin Berlin, 10117 Berlin, Germany
- Berlin Institute of Health at Charité—Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Charitéplatz 1, 10117 Berlin, Germany
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19
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Opioid receptor activation suppresses the neuroinflammatory response by promoting microglial M2 polarization. Mol Cell Neurosci 2022; 121:103744. [PMID: 35660086 DOI: 10.1016/j.mcn.2022.103744] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/14/2021] [Revised: 05/02/2022] [Accepted: 05/29/2022] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Activation of microglia is considered the most important component of neuroinflammation. Microglia can adopt a pro-inflammatory (M1) or anti-inflammatory (M2) phenotype. Opioid receptors (ORs) have been shown to control neurotransmission of various peptidergic neurons, but their potential role in regulating microglial function is largely unknown. Here, we aimed to investigate the effect of the OR agonists DAMGO, DADLE and U-50488 on the polarization of C8-B4 microglial cells. We observed that opioids suppressed lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-triggered M1 polarization and promoted M2 polarization. This was reflected in lower phagocytic activity, lower production of NO, lower expression of TNF-α, IL-1β, IL-6, IL-86 and IL-12 beta p40 together with higher migration rate, and increased expression of IL-4, IL-10, arginase 1 and CD 206 in microglia, compared to cells affected by LPS. We demonstrated that the effect of opioids on microglial polarization is mediated by the TREM2/NF-κB signaling pathway. These results provide new insights into the anti-inflammatory and neuroprotective effects of opioids and highlight their potential in combating neurodegenerative diseases.
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20
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Determination of T Cell Responses in Thai Systemic Sclerosis Patients. J Immunol Res 2022; 2022:5072154. [PMID: 35310606 PMCID: PMC8924789 DOI: 10.1155/2022/5072154] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/10/2021] [Revised: 02/12/2022] [Accepted: 02/21/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Objectives This study is aimed at determining the role of T cells by assessing the numbers of IFN-γ- and IL-2-secreting T cells following stimulation with peptides derived from DNA topoisomerase-I protein in Thai SSc patients. Methods Fifty Thai SSc patients and 50 healthy controls (HC) joined this study. IFN-γ and IL-2 levels upon stimulation of T cells with 6 peptides derived from DNA topoisomerase-I protein were determined. Anti-nuclear antibodies (ANA) and anti-Scl-70 antibodies were determined by using the ELISA method. Results In SSc patients, we detected a significantly higher number of IFN-γ- and IL-2-secreting CD8+ T cells than IFN-γ- and IL-2-secreting CD4+ T cells after stimulation with pooled peptides derived from DNA topoisomerase-I protein. A similar percentage of CD4+IL-2+, CD4+IFN-γ+, and CD8+IL-2+ were detected following stimulation with DNA topoisomerase-I protein -in SSc patients with anti-Scl-70 antibody (SSc/anti-Scl-70+) and those without. In contrast, the amount of CD8+IFN-γ+ cells was significantly higher in SSc/anti-Scl-70+ than those without. Stimulation with individual peptides showed that CSLRVEHINLHPELD (sPep3; 15 amino acids; position 505-519 of DNA topoisomerase-I protein) was the optimal epitope that induced T cells secreting the highest levels of IFN-γ and IL-2. A higher percentage of IFN-γ+CD4+ T cells was detected in SSc/anti-Scl-70+ than those without the following stimulation with peptides 2 (amino acid position 475-486 [RAVALYFIDKLA] of protein DNA topoisomerase). Conclusion The results from this study emphasize the critical role of DNA topoisomerase-I peptides on the activation of T cells in SSc patients. The findings provide a better understanding of SSc's immunopathogenesis and may lead to the development of diagnostic tools and specific treatments for SSc in the future.
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21
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Yu J, Tang R, Ding K. Epigenetic Modifications in the Pathogenesis of Systemic Sclerosis. Int J Gen Med 2022; 15:3155-3166. [PMID: 35342304 PMCID: PMC8942200 DOI: 10.2147/ijgm.s356877] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/03/2022] [Accepted: 03/04/2022] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Systemic sclerosis is a rare chronic autoimmune disease, which mainly manifests as immune disorders, vascular damage, and progressive fibrosis. The etiology of SSc is complex and involves multiple factors. Both genetic and environmental factors are involved in its pathogenesis. As one of the molecular mechanisms of environmental factors, epigenetic regulation plays an important role in the occurrence and development of systemic sclerosis, which involves DNA methylation, histone modification and non-coding RNA regulation. This review summarizes research advances in epigenetics, including exosomes, lncRNA, and mentions possible biomarkers and therapeutic targets among them.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiangfan Yu
- Department of Dermatology, Second Xiangya Hospital of Central South University, Changsha, 410011, People’s Republic of China
| | - Rui Tang
- Department of Rheumatology and Immunology, Second Xiangya Hospital of Central South University, Changsha, 410011, People’s Republic of China
| | - Ke Ding
- Department of Urology, Xiangya Hospital of Central South University, Changsha, 410008, People’s Republic of China
- Correspondence: Ke Ding, Department of Urology, Xiangya Hospital of Central South University, Changsha, 410008, People’s Republic of China, Email
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22
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Kelly NJ, Chan SY. Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension: Emerging Principles of Precision Medicine across Basic Science to Clinical Practice. Rev Cardiovasc Med 2022; 23:378. [PMID: 36875282 PMCID: PMC9980296 DOI: 10.31083/j.rcm2311378] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is an enigmatic and deadly vascular disease with no known cure. Recent years have seen rapid advances in our understanding of the molecular underpinnings of PAH, with an expanding knowledge of the molecular, cellular, and systems-level drivers of disease that are being translated into novel therapeutic modalities. Simultaneous advances in clinical technology have led to a growing list of tools with potential application to diagnosis and phenotyping. Guided by fundamental biology, these developments hold the potential to usher in a new era of personalized medicine in PAH with broad implications for patient management and great promise for improved outcomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Neil J Kelly
- Center for Pulmonary Vascular Biology and Medicine and Pittsburgh Heart, Lung, and Blood Vascular Medicine Institute; Division of Cardiology; Department of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine and University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA
| | - Stephen Y Chan
- Center for Pulmonary Vascular Biology and Medicine and Pittsburgh Heart, Lung, and Blood Vascular Medicine Institute; Division of Cardiology; Department of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine and University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA
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23
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Vlachogiannis NI, Tual-Chalot S, Zormpas E, Bonini F, Ntouros PA, Pappa M, Bournia VK, Tektonidou MG, Souliotis VL, Mavragani CP, Stamatelopoulos K, Gatsiou A, Sfikakis PP, Stellos K. Adenosine-to-inosine RNA editing contributes to type I interferon responses in systemic sclerosis. J Autoimmun 2021; 125:102755. [PMID: 34857436 PMCID: PMC8713031 DOI: 10.1016/j.jaut.2021.102755] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/24/2021] [Revised: 11/15/2021] [Accepted: 11/16/2021] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Adenosine deaminase acting on RNA-1 (ADAR1) enzyme is a type I interferon (IFN)-stimulated gene (ISG) catalyzing the deamination of adenosine-to-inosine, a process called A-to-I RNA editing. A-to-I RNA editing takes place mainly in Alu elements comprising a primate-specific level of post-transcriptional gene regulation. Whether RNA editing is involved in type I IFN responses in systemic sclerosis (SSc) patients remains unknown. METHODS ISG expression was quantified in skin biopsies and peripheral blood mononuclear cells derived from SSc patients and healthy subjects. A-to-I RNA editing was examined in the ADAR1-target cathepsin S (CTSS) by an RNA editing assay. The effect of ADAR1 on interferon-α/β-induced CTSS expression was assessed in human endothelial cells in vitro. RESULTS Increased expression levels of the RNA editor ADAR1, and specifically the long ADAR1p150 isoform, and its target CTSS are strongly associated with type I IFN signature in skin biopsies and peripheral blood derived from SSc patients. Notably, IFN-α/β-treated human endothelial cells show 8-10-fold increased ADAR1p150 and 23-35-fold increased CTSS expression, while silencing of ADAR1 reduces CTSS expression by 60-70%. In SSc patients, increased RNA editing rate of individual adenosines located in CTSS 3' UTR Alu elements is associated with higher CTSS expression (r = 0.36-0.6, P < 0.05 for all). Similar findings were obtained in subjects with activated type I IFN responses including SLE patients or healthy subjects after influenza vaccination. CONCLUSION ADAR1p150-mediated A-to-I RNA editing is critically involved in type I IFN responses highlighting the importance of post-transcriptional regulation of proinflammatory gene expression in systemic autoimmunity, including SSc.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nikolaos I Vlachogiannis
- Biosciences Institute, Vascular Biology and Medicine Theme, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Newcastle University, Newcastle Upon Tyne, UK; First Department of Propaedeutic Internal Medicine and Joint Rheumatology Program, School of Medicine, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece; Freeman Hospital, Newcastle Upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Newcastle Upon Tyne, UK
| | - Simon Tual-Chalot
- Biosciences Institute, Vascular Biology and Medicine Theme, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Newcastle University, Newcastle Upon Tyne, UK
| | - Eleftherios Zormpas
- Biosciences Institute, Vascular Biology and Medicine Theme, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Newcastle University, Newcastle Upon Tyne, UK
| | - Francesca Bonini
- Department of Cardiovascular Research, European Center for Angioscience (ECAS), Heidelberg University, Mannheim, Germany
| | - Panagiotis A Ntouros
- First Department of Propaedeutic Internal Medicine and Joint Rheumatology Program, School of Medicine, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece
| | - Maria Pappa
- First Department of Propaedeutic Internal Medicine and Joint Rheumatology Program, School of Medicine, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece
| | - Vasiliki-Kalliopi Bournia
- First Department of Propaedeutic Internal Medicine and Joint Rheumatology Program, School of Medicine, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece
| | - Maria G Tektonidou
- First Department of Propaedeutic Internal Medicine and Joint Rheumatology Program, School of Medicine, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece
| | - Vassilis L Souliotis
- First Department of Propaedeutic Internal Medicine and Joint Rheumatology Program, School of Medicine, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece; Institute of Chemical Biology, National Hellenic Research Foundation, Athens, Greece
| | - Clio P Mavragani
- Department of Physiology and Joint Rheumatology Program, School of Medicine, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece
| | - Kimon Stamatelopoulos
- Biosciences Institute, Vascular Biology and Medicine Theme, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Newcastle University, Newcastle Upon Tyne, UK; Department of Clinical Therapeutics, Alexandra Hospital, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece
| | - Aikaterini Gatsiou
- Biosciences Institute, Vascular Biology and Medicine Theme, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Newcastle University, Newcastle Upon Tyne, UK
| | - Petros P Sfikakis
- First Department of Propaedeutic Internal Medicine and Joint Rheumatology Program, School of Medicine, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece
| | - Konstantinos Stellos
- Biosciences Institute, Vascular Biology and Medicine Theme, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Newcastle University, Newcastle Upon Tyne, UK; Freeman Hospital, Newcastle Upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Newcastle Upon Tyne, UK; Department of Cardiovascular Research, European Center for Angioscience (ECAS), Heidelberg University, Mannheim, Germany; German Centre for Cardiovascular Research (DZHK), Partner Site Heidelberg/Mannheim, Mannheim, Germany.
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24
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Schneider L, Marcondes NA, Hax V, da Silva Moreira IF, Ueda CY, Piovesan RR, Xavier R, Chakr R. Flow cytometry evaluation of CD14/CD16 monocyte subpopulations in systemic sclerosis patients: a cross sectional controlled study. Adv Rheumatol 2021; 61:27. [PMID: 34022965 DOI: 10.1186/s42358-021-00182-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/20/2020] [Accepted: 04/27/2021] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Systemic sclerosis (SSc) is a chronic autoimmune disease characterized by vasculopathy and fibrosis, which can be subclassified into diffuse cutaneous (dSSc) and limited cutaneous (lSSc) subtypes. Previous studies suggest that an increase in monocytes can be a hallmark of various inflammatory diseases, including SSc. Our aim was to evaluate circulating blood monocyte subpopulations (classical, intermediate and non-classical) of SSc patients and their possible association with disease manifestations. METHODS Fifty consecutive patients fulfilling the 2013 ACR/EULAR classification criteria for SSc were included in a cross-sectional study. Monocyte subpopulations were identified based on their expression of CD64, CD14 and CD16, evaluated by flow cytometry, and were correlated with the clinical characteristics of the patients; furthermore, the expression of HLA-DR, CD163, CD169 and CD206 in the monocytes was studied. Thirty-eight age- and sex-matched healthy individuals were recruited as a control group. RESULTS SSc patients had an increased number of circulating peripheral blood monocytes with an activated phenotypic profile compared to healthy subjects. Absolute counts of CD16+ (intermediary and non-classical) monocyte subpopulations were higher in SSc patients. There was no association between monocyte subpopulations and the clinical manifestations evaluated. CONCLUSION We identified higher counts of all monocyte subpopulations in SSc patients compared to the control group. There was no association between monocyte subpopulations and major fibrotic manifestations. CD169 was shown to be more representative in dSSc, being a promising marker for differentiating disease subtypes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laiana Schneider
- Serviço de Reumatologia, Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, 2350 Ramiro Barcelos St, Room 645, Porto Alegre, RS, 90035-903, Brazil. .,Programa de Pós Graduação em Medicina: Ciências Médicas, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Brazil.
| | | | - Vanessa Hax
- Serviço de Reumatologia, Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, 2350 Ramiro Barcelos St, Room 645, Porto Alegre, RS, 90035-903, Brazil
| | | | - Carolina Yuka Ueda
- Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Brazil
| | | | - Ricardo Xavier
- Serviço de Reumatologia, Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, 2350 Ramiro Barcelos St, Room 645, Porto Alegre, RS, 90035-903, Brazil.,Programa de Pós Graduação em Medicina: Ciências Médicas, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Brazil
| | - Rafael Chakr
- Serviço de Reumatologia, Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, 2350 Ramiro Barcelos St, Room 645, Porto Alegre, RS, 90035-903, Brazil.,Programa de Pós Graduação em Medicina: Ciências Médicas, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Brazil
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25
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Mohamed ME, Gamal RM, El-Mokhtar MA, Hassan AT, Abozaid HSM, Ghandour AM, Abdelmoez A Ismail S, A Yousef H, H El-Hakeim E, S Makarem Y, Abdellatif Awad A. Peripheral cells from patients with systemic sclerosis disease co-expressing M1 and M2 monocyte/macrophage surface markers: Relation to the degree of skin involvement. Hum Immunol 2021; 82:634-639. [PMID: 34020830 DOI: 10.1016/j.humimm.2021.03.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/12/2020] [Revised: 03/08/2021] [Accepted: 03/23/2021] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
Abstract
The monocyte/macrophage lineage cells were found involved in the pathogenesis of systemic sclerosis (SSc) disease. The naïve macrophages are activated either to M1 cells with proinflammatory roles or to M2 cells that function to resolve inflammation with tissue repair. Recently, cells with dual phenotypes were detected in SSc disease. So, we aimed in this study to demonstrate different monocyte/macrophage phenotypes in peripheral cells from a group of Egyptian SSc patients, correlating percentages of these cells with the clinical findings in patients. The study participants comprised 41 patients with diffuse cutaneous SSc disease and 25 healthy individuals as controls. Clinical, radiological, and laboratory tests were conducted for SSc patients. Different phenotypes of the monocyte/macrophage subsets were identified in peripheral blood of patients and controls by flow cytometry for characteristic M1 (CD80, CD86, and TLR4) and M2 (CD204, CD163 and CD206) markers. SSc patients showed higher percentages of peripheral cells of the M1, M2, and mixed M1/M2 phenotypes within the monocyte/macrophage lineage compared to controls. Different cell phenotypes were associated significantly with the disease duration, modified Rodnan's score, the Medsger skin score, and the Medsger lung in SSc patients. Some cells with the M1/M2 phenotypes were higher in SSc patients with pitting scars, arthritis, and myalgia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mona Embarek Mohamed
- Microbiology and Immunology Department, Faculty of Medicine, Assiut University, Egypt
| | - Rania M Gamal
- Rheumatology & Rehabilitation Department, Assuit University Hospitals, Egypt.
| | - Mohamed A El-Mokhtar
- Microbiology and Immunology Department, Faculty of Medicine, Assiut University, Egypt
| | | | | | - Abeer M Ghandour
- Rheumatology & Rehabilitation Department, Assuit University Hospitals, Egypt
| | | | - Hosam A Yousef
- Radiology Department, Assuit University Hospitals, Egypt
| | - Eman H El-Hakeim
- Rheumatology & Rehabilitation Department, Assuit University Hospitals, Egypt
| | - Yasmine S Makarem
- Rheumatology & Rehabilitation Department, Assuit University Hospitals, Egypt
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26
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Farina A, Rosato E, York M, Gewurz BE, Trojanowska M, Farina GA. Innate Immune Modulation Induced by EBV Lytic Infection Promotes Endothelial Cell Inflammation and Vascular Injury in Scleroderma. Front Immunol 2021; 12:651013. [PMID: 33953718 PMCID: PMC8089375 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2021.651013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/08/2021] [Accepted: 04/01/2021] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Microvascular injury is considered an initial event in the pathogenesis of scleroderma and endothelial cells are suspected of being the target of the autoimmune process seen in the disease. EBV has long been proposed as a trigger for autoimmune diseases, including scleroderma. Nevertheless, its contribution to the pathogenic process remains poorly understood. In this study, we report that EBV lytic antigens are detected in scleroderma dermal vessels, suggesting that endothelial cells might represent a target for EBV infection in scleroderma skin. We show that EBV DNA load is remarkably increased in peripheral blood, plasma and circulating monocytes from scleroderma patients compared to healthy EBV carriers, and that monocytes represent the prominent subsets of EBV-infected cells in scleroderma. Given that monocytes have the capacity to adhere to the endothelium, we then investigated whether monocyte-associated EBV could infect primary human endothelial cells. We demonstrated that endothelial cells are infectable by EBV, using human monocytes bound to recombinant EBV as a shuttle, even though cell-free virus failed to infect them. We show that EBV induces activation of TLR9 innate immune response and markers of vascular injury in infected endothelial cells and that up-regulation is associated with the expression of EBV lytic genes in infected cells. EBV innate immune modulation suggests a novel mechanism mediating inflammation, by which EBV triggers endothelial cell and vascular injury in scleroderma. In addition, our data point to up-regulation of EBV DNA loads as potential biomarker in developing vasculopathy in scleroderma. These findings provide the framework for the development of novel therapeutic interventions to shift the scleroderma treatment paradigm towards antiviral therapies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Antonella Farina
- Department of Experimental Medicine, Sapienza University, Rome, Italy
| | - Edoardo Rosato
- Department of Clinical Medicine, Sapienza University, Rome, Italy
| | - Michael York
- Division of Rheumatology, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Benjamin E Gewurz
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States.,Program in Virology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States.,Broad Institute of Harvard and MIT, Cambridge, MA, United States
| | - Maria Trojanowska
- Division of Rheumatology, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, MA, United States
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27
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Type I interferon activation and endothelial dysfunction in caveolin-1 insufficiency-associated pulmonary arterial hypertension. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2021; 118:2010206118. [PMID: 33836561 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2010206118] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Interferonopathies, interferon (IFN)-α/β therapy, and caveolin-1 (CAV1) loss-of-function have all been associated with pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH). Here, CAV1-silenced primary human pulmonary artery endothelial cells (PAECs) were proliferative and hypermigratory, with reduced cytoskeletal stress fibers. Signal transducers and activators of transcription (STAT) and phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K)/protein kinase B (AKT) were both constitutively activated in these cells, resulting in a type I IFN-biased inflammatory signature. Cav1 -/- mice that spontaneously develop pulmonary hypertension were found to have STAT1 and AKT activation in lung homogenates and increased circulating levels of CXCL10, a hallmark of IFN-mediated inflammation. PAH patients with CAV1 mutations also had elevated serum CXCL10 levels and their fibroblasts mirrored phenotypic and molecular features of CAV1-deficient PAECs. Moreover, immunofluorescence staining revealed endothelial CAV1 loss and STAT1 activation in the pulmonary arterioles of patients with idiopathic PAH, suggesting that this paradigm might not be limited to rare CAV1 frameshift mutations. While blocking JAK/STAT or AKT rescued aspects of CAV1 loss, only AKT inhibitors suppressed activation of both signaling pathways simultaneously. Silencing endothelial nitric oxide synthase (NOS3) prevented STAT1 and AKT activation induced by CAV1 loss, implicating CAV1/NOS3 uncoupling and NOS3 dysregulation in the inflammatory phenotype. Exogenous IFN reduced CAV1 expression, activated STAT1 and AKT, and altered the cytoskeleton of PAECs, implicating these mechanisms in PAH associated with autoimmune and autoinflammatory diseases, as well as IFN therapy. CAV1 insufficiency elicits an IFN inflammatory response that results in a dysfunctional endothelial cell phenotype and targeting this pathway may reduce pathologic vascular remodeling in PAH.
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28
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Yerabolu D, Weiss A, Kojonazarov B, Boehm M, Schlueter BC, Ruppert C, Günther A, Jonigk D, Grimminger F, Ghofrani HA, Seeger W, Weissmann N, Schermuly RT. Targeting Jak-Stat Signaling in Experimental Pulmonary Hypertension. Am J Respir Cell Mol Biol 2021; 64:100-114. [PMID: 33052714 DOI: 10.1165/rcmb.2019-0431oc] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
In pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH), progressive structural remodeling accounts for the pulmonary vasculopathy including the obliteration of the lung vasculature that causes an increase in vascular resistance and mean blood pressure in the pulmonary arteries ultimately leading to right heart failure-mediated death. Deciphering the molecular details of aberrant signaling of pulmonary vascular cells in PAH is fundamental for the development of new therapeutic strategies. We aimed to identify kinases as new potential drug targets that are dysregulated in PAH by means of a peptide-based kinase activity assay. We performed a tyrosine kinase-dependent phosphorylation assay using 144 selected microarrayed substrate peptides. The differential signature of phosphopeptides was used to predict alterations in tyrosine kinase activities in human pulmonary arterial smooth muscle cells (HPASMCs) from patients with idiopathic PAH (IPAH) compared with healthy control cells. Thereby, we observed an overactivation and an increased expression of Jak2 (Janus kinase 2) in HPASMCs from patients with IPAH as compared with controls. In vitro, IL-6-induced proliferation and migration of HPASMCs from healthy individuals as well as from patients with IPAH were reduced in a dose-dependent manner by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration-approved Jak1 and Jak2 inhibitor ruxolitinib. In vivo, ruxolitinib therapy in two experimental models of pulmonary arterial hypertension dose-dependently attenuated the elevation in pulmonary arterial pressure, partially reduced right ventricular hypertrophy, and almost completely restored cardiac index without signs of adverse events on cardiac function. Therefore, we propose that ruxolitinib may present a novel therapeutic option for patients with PAH by reducing pulmonary vascular remodeling through effectively blocking Jak2-Stat3 (signal transducer of activators of transcription)-mediated signaling pathways.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dinesh Yerabolu
- Justus-Liebig-University Giessen, Giessen, Germany.,Universities of Giessen and Marburg Lung Center, Giessen, Germany.,Cardio-Pulmonary Institute, Giessen, Germany.,German Center for Lung Research, Giessen, Germany
| | - Astrid Weiss
- Justus-Liebig-University Giessen, Giessen, Germany.,Universities of Giessen and Marburg Lung Center, Giessen, Germany.,Cardio-Pulmonary Institute, Giessen, Germany.,German Center for Lung Research, Giessen, Germany
| | - Baktybek Kojonazarov
- Justus-Liebig-University Giessen, Giessen, Germany.,Universities of Giessen and Marburg Lung Center, Giessen, Germany.,Cardio-Pulmonary Institute, Giessen, Germany.,German Center for Lung Research, Giessen, Germany.,Institute for Lung Health, Giessen, Germany
| | - Mario Boehm
- Justus-Liebig-University Giessen, Giessen, Germany.,Universities of Giessen and Marburg Lung Center, Giessen, Germany.,Cardio-Pulmonary Institute, Giessen, Germany.,German Center for Lung Research, Giessen, Germany
| | - Beate Christiane Schlueter
- Justus-Liebig-University Giessen, Giessen, Germany.,Universities of Giessen and Marburg Lung Center, Giessen, Germany.,Cardio-Pulmonary Institute, Giessen, Germany.,German Center for Lung Research, Giessen, Germany
| | - Clemens Ruppert
- Justus-Liebig-University Giessen, Giessen, Germany.,Universities of Giessen and Marburg Lung Center, Giessen, Germany.,Cardio-Pulmonary Institute, Giessen, Germany.,German Center for Lung Research, Giessen, Germany.,Universities of Giessen and Marburg Lung Center Giessen Biobank, Part of the German Center for Lung Research Biobank, Giessen, Germany
| | - Andreas Günther
- Justus-Liebig-University Giessen, Giessen, Germany.,Universities of Giessen and Marburg Lung Center, Giessen, Germany.,Cardio-Pulmonary Institute, Giessen, Germany.,German Center for Lung Research, Giessen, Germany.,Universities of Giessen and Marburg Lung Center Giessen Biobank, Part of the German Center for Lung Research Biobank, Giessen, Germany.,Agaplesion Lung Clinic Waldhof-Elgershausen, Greifenstein, Germany
| | - Danny Jonigk
- German Center for Lung Research, Giessen, Germany.,Institute of Pathology, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany; and
| | - Friedrich Grimminger
- Justus-Liebig-University Giessen, Giessen, Germany.,Universities of Giessen and Marburg Lung Center, Giessen, Germany.,Cardio-Pulmonary Institute, Giessen, Germany.,German Center for Lung Research, Giessen, Germany
| | - Hossein-Ardeschir Ghofrani
- Justus-Liebig-University Giessen, Giessen, Germany.,Universities of Giessen and Marburg Lung Center, Giessen, Germany.,Cardio-Pulmonary Institute, Giessen, Germany.,German Center for Lung Research, Giessen, Germany
| | - Werner Seeger
- Justus-Liebig-University Giessen, Giessen, Germany.,Universities of Giessen and Marburg Lung Center, Giessen, Germany.,Cardio-Pulmonary Institute, Giessen, Germany.,German Center for Lung Research, Giessen, Germany.,Institute for Lung Health, Giessen, Germany.,Max Planck Institute for Heart and Lung Research, Bad Nauheim, Germany
| | - Norbert Weissmann
- Justus-Liebig-University Giessen, Giessen, Germany.,Universities of Giessen and Marburg Lung Center, Giessen, Germany.,Cardio-Pulmonary Institute, Giessen, Germany.,German Center for Lung Research, Giessen, Germany
| | - Ralph Theo Schermuly
- Justus-Liebig-University Giessen, Giessen, Germany.,Universities of Giessen and Marburg Lung Center, Giessen, Germany.,Cardio-Pulmonary Institute, Giessen, Germany.,German Center for Lung Research, Giessen, Germany.,Institute for Lung Health, Giessen, Germany
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29
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Bruni C, Guignabert C, Manetti M, Cerinic MM, Humbert M. The multifaceted problem of pulmonary arterial hypertension in systemic sclerosis. THE LANCET. RHEUMATOLOGY 2021; 3:e149-e159. [PMID: 38279370 DOI: 10.1016/s2665-9913(20)30356-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/15/2020] [Revised: 09/15/2020] [Accepted: 09/17/2020] [Indexed: 01/16/2023]
Abstract
Cardiopulmonary complications are a leading cause of death in systemic sclerosis. Pulmonary hypertension in particular carries a high mortality and morbidity burden. Patients with systemic sclerosis can suffer from all of the clinical groups of pulmonary hypertension, particularly pulmonary arterial hypertension and pulmonary hypertension related to interstitial lung disease. Despite a similar pathogenetic background with idiopathic pulmonary arterial hypertension, different mechanisms determine a worse prognostic outcome for patients with systemic sclerosis. In this Viewpoint, we will consider the link between pathogenetic and potential therapeutic targets for the treatment of pulmonary hypertension in the context of systemic sclerosis, with a focus on the current unmet needs, such as the importance of early screening and detection, the absence of agreed criteria to distinguish pulmonary arterial hypertension with interstitial lung disease from pulmonary hypertension due to lung fibrosis, and the need for a holistic treatment approach to target all the vascular, immunological, and inflammatory components of the disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cosimo Bruni
- Division of Rheumatology, and Department of Experimental and Clinical Medicine, University of Florence, Florence, Italy
| | - Christophe Guignabert
- School of Medicine, Université Paris-Saclay, Le Kremlin-Bicêtre, France; Department of Pulmonary Hypertension, Pathophysiology, and Novel Therapies, Hôpital Marie Lannelongue, Le Plessis-Robinson, France
| | - Mirko Manetti
- Section of Anatomy and Histology, and Department of Experimental and Clinical Medicine, University of Florence, Florence, Italy
| | - Marco Matucci Cerinic
- Division of Rheumatology, and Department of Experimental and Clinical Medicine, University of Florence, Florence, Italy.
| | - Marc Humbert
- School of Medicine, Université Paris-Saclay, Le Kremlin-Bicêtre, France; Department of Pulmonary Hypertension, Pathophysiology, and Novel Therapies, Hôpital Marie Lannelongue, Le Plessis-Robinson, France; Department of Respiratory and Intensive Care Medicine, Pulmonary Hypertension National Referral Center, Assistance Publique - Hôpitaux de Paris, Hôpital Bicêtre, Le Kremlin-Bicêtre, France
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30
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Liang S, Desai AA, Black SM, Tang H. Cytokines, Chemokines, and Inflammation in Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension. ADVANCES IN EXPERIMENTAL MEDICINE AND BIOLOGY 2021; 1303:275-303. [PMID: 33788198 DOI: 10.1007/978-3-030-63046-1_15] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
According to the World Symposium Pulmonary Hypertension (WSPH) classification, pulmonary hypertension (PH) is classified into five categories based on etiology. Among them, Group 1 pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) disorders are rare but progressive and often, fatal despite multiple approved treatments. Elevated pulmonary arterial pressure in patients with WSPH Group 1 PAH is mainly caused by increased pulmonary vascular resistance (PVR), due primarily to sustained pulmonary vasoconstriction and excessive obliterative pulmonary vascular remodeling. Growing evidence indicates that inflammation plays a critical role in the development of pulmonary vascular remodeling associated with PAH. While the role of auto-immunity is unclear, infiltration of inflammatory cells in and around vascular lesions, including T- and B-cells, dendritic cells, macrophages, and mast cells have been observed in PAH patients. Serum and plasma levels of chemokines, cytokines, and autoantibodies are also increased in PAH patients; some of these circulating molecules are correlated with disease severity and survival. Preclinical experiments have reported a key role of the inflammation in PAH pathophysiology in vivo. Importantly, anti-inflammatory and immunosuppressive agents have further exhibited therapeutic effects. The present chapter reviews published experimental and clinical evidence highlighting the canonical role of inflammation in the pathogenesis of PAH and as a major target for the development of anti-inflammatory therapies in patients with PAH.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shuxin Liang
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Shaanxi, China.,State Key Laboratory of Respiratory Disease, National Clinical Research Center for Respiratory Disease, Guangdong Key Laboratory of Vascular Disease, Guangzhou Institute of Respiratory Health, The First Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
| | - Ankit A Desai
- Department of Medicine, Indiana University, Indianapolis, IN, USA
| | - Stephen M Black
- Division of Translational and Regenerative Medicine, College of Medicine, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, USA
| | - Haiyang Tang
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Shaanxi, China. .,State Key Laboratory of Respiratory Disease, National Clinical Research Center for Respiratory Disease, Guangdong Key Laboratory of Vascular Disease, Guangzhou Institute of Respiratory Health, The First Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China.
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31
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Vlachogiannis NI, Pappa M, Ntouros PA, Nezos A, Mavragani CP, Souliotis VL, Sfikakis PP. Association Between DNA Damage Response, Fibrosis and Type I Interferon Signature in Systemic Sclerosis. Front Immunol 2020; 11:582401. [PMID: 33123169 PMCID: PMC7566292 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2020.582401] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/11/2020] [Accepted: 09/14/2020] [Indexed: 01/22/2023] Open
Abstract
Increased endogenous DNA damage and type I interferon pathway activation have been implicated in systemic sclerosis (SSc) pathogenesis. Because experimental evidence suggests an interplay between DNA damage response/repair (DDR/R) and immune response, we hypothesized that deregulated DDR/R is associated with a type I interferon signature and/or fibrosis extent in SSc. DNA damage levels, oxidative stress, induction of abasic sites and the efficiency of DNA double-strand break repair (DSB/R) and nucleotide excision repair (NER) were assessed in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) derived from 37 SSc patients and 55 healthy controls; expression of DDR/R-associated genes and type I interferon-induced genes was also quantified. Endogenous DNA damage was significantly higher in untreated diffuse or limited SSc (Olive tail moment; 14.7 ± 7.0 and 9.5 ± 4.1, respectively) as well as in patients under cytotoxic treatment (15.0 ± 5.4) but not in very early onset SSc (5.6 ± 1.2) compared with controls (4.9 ± 2.6). Moreover, patients with pulmonary fibrosis had significantly higher DNA damage levels than those without (12.6 ± 5.8 vs. 8.8 ± 4.8, respectively). SSc patients displayed increased oxidative stress and abasic sites, defective DSB/R but not NER capacity, downregulation of genes involved in DSB/R (MRE11A, PRKDC) and base excision repair (PARP1, XRCC1), and upregulation of apoptosis-related genes (BAX, BBC3). Individual levels of DNA damage in SSc PBMCs correlated significantly with the corresponding mRNA expression of type I interferon-induced genes (IFIT1, IFI44 and MX1, r=0.419-0.490) as well as with corresponding skin involvement extent by modified Rodnan skin score (r=0.481). In conclusion, defective DDR/R may exert a fuel-on-fire effect on type I interferon pathway activation and contribute to tissue fibrosis in SSc.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nikolaos I Vlachogiannis
- First Department of Propaedeutic Internal Medicine, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens Medical School, Athens, Greece.,Joint Academic Rheumatology Program, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens Medical School, Athens, Greece
| | - Maria Pappa
- First Department of Propaedeutic Internal Medicine, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens Medical School, Athens, Greece.,Joint Academic Rheumatology Program, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens Medical School, Athens, Greece
| | - Panagiotis A Ntouros
- First Department of Propaedeutic Internal Medicine, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens Medical School, Athens, Greece.,Joint Academic Rheumatology Program, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens Medical School, Athens, Greece
| | - Adrianos Nezos
- Department of Physiology, School of Medicine, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece
| | - Clio P Mavragani
- Joint Academic Rheumatology Program, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens Medical School, Athens, Greece.,Department of Physiology, School of Medicine, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece
| | - Vassilis L Souliotis
- First Department of Propaedeutic Internal Medicine, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens Medical School, Athens, Greece.,Institute of Chemical Biology, National Hellenic Research Foundation, Athens, Greece
| | - Petros P Sfikakis
- First Department of Propaedeutic Internal Medicine, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens Medical School, Athens, Greece.,Joint Academic Rheumatology Program, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens Medical School, Athens, Greece
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32
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Kozłowska E, Brzezińska-Błaszczyk E, Rasmus P, Żelechowska P. Fungal β-glucans and mannan stimulate peripheral blood mononuclear cells to cytokine production in Syk-dependent manner. Immunobiology 2020; 225:151985. [DOI: 10.1016/j.imbio.2020.151985] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/15/2020] [Accepted: 07/26/2020] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
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33
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Park JB, Paeng JC, Lee SP. Reply to Tang et al.: Positron Emission Tomography: A Novel Approach to Detect Pulmonary Artery Hypertension at the Early Stage? Am J Respir Crit Care Med 2020; 202:475-476. [PMID: 32353249 PMCID: PMC7397794 DOI: 10.1164/rccm.202003-0557le] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Jun-Bean Park
- Seoul National University HospitalSeoul, Republic of Koreaand
- Seoul National University College of MedicineSeoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Jin Chul Paeng
- Seoul National University HospitalSeoul, Republic of Koreaand
- Seoul National University College of MedicineSeoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Seung-Pyo Lee
- Seoul National University HospitalSeoul, Republic of Koreaand
- Seoul National University College of MedicineSeoul, Republic of Korea
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34
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Zheng JN, Li Y, Yan YM, Shi H, Zou TT, Shao WQ, Wang Q. Identification and Validation of Key Genes Associated With Systemic Sclerosis-Related Pulmonary Hypertension. Front Genet 2020; 11:816. [PMID: 32793290 PMCID: PMC7393672 DOI: 10.3389/fgene.2020.00816] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/11/2020] [Accepted: 07/07/2020] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
Abstract
Systemic sclerosis-associated with pulmonary arterial hypertension (SSc-PAH) is still a major cause of SSc related deaths. Early diagnosis and prompt treatment are crucial to reduce the mortality of patients with SSc-PAH. To screen the candidate biomarkers and potential therapeutic targets for SSc-PAH, we analyzed the data set (GSE33463 and GSE19617) for confirming key genes in peripheral blood mononuclear cells from SSc-PAH patients. A total of 105 SSc patients from gene expression omnibus (GEO) were included as discovery cohort (n = 69) and duplication cohort (n = 36) for screening hub genes by weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA). Furthermore, an independent validation cohort (n = 40), including healthy controls, SSc and SSc-PAH patients, was used for further validation by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction. The results showed that four key genes, including IFIT2, IFIT3, RSAD2, and PARP14, may serve as potential biomarkers in SSc-PAH. Also, they could be independent risk factors for SSc-PAH. In conclusion, the four key genes can be expected to become the potential therapeutic targets and early biomarkers for accurate therapy and diagnosis of SSc-PAH in the future, which also provides promising insights into the pathogenesis of SSc-PAH at the molecular level.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ji-Na Zheng
- Department of Dermatology, Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Yang Li
- Department of Stomatology, Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Yue-Mei Yan
- Department of Dermatology, Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Hui Shi
- Department of Cardiology, Shanghai Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases, Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Tian-Tian Zou
- Department of General Surgery, Huashan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, China.,Cancer Metastasis Institute, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Wen-Qi Shao
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Qiang Wang
- Department of Dermatology, Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
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35
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Bhandari R, Ball MS, Martyanov V, Popovich D, Schaafsma E, Han S, ElTanbouly M, Orzechowski NM, Carns M, Arroyo E, Aren K, Hinchcliff M, Whitfield ML, Pioli PA. Profibrotic Activation of Human Macrophages in Systemic Sclerosis. Arthritis Rheumatol 2020; 72:1160-1169. [PMID: 32134204 DOI: 10.1002/art.41243] [Citation(s) in RCA: 47] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/18/2018] [Accepted: 02/25/2020] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Genome-wide gene expression studies implicate macrophages as mediators of fibrosis in systemic sclerosis (SSc), but little is known about how these cells contribute to fibrotic activation in SSc. We undertook this study to characterize the activation profile of SSc monocyte-derived macrophages and assessed their interaction with SSc fibroblasts. METHODS Plasma and peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) were obtained from whole blood from SSc patients (n = 24) and age- and sex-matched healthy controls (n = 12). Monocytes were cultured with autologous or allogeneic plasma to differentiate cells into macrophages. For reciprocal activation studies, macrophages were cocultured with fibroblasts using Transwell plates. RESULTS The gene expression signature associated with blood-derived human SSc macrophages was enriched in SSc skin in an independent cohort and correlated with skin fibrosis. SSc macrophages expressed surface markers associated with activation and released CCL2, interleukin-6, and transforming growth factor β under basal conditions (n = 8) (P < 0.05). Differentiation of healthy donor monocytes in plasma from SSc patients conferred the immunophenotype of SSc macrophages (n = 13) (P < 0.05). Transwell experiments demonstrated that coculture of SSc macrophages with SSc fibroblasts induced fibroblast activation (n = 3) (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION These data demonstrate that the activation profile of SSc macrophages is profibrotic. SSc macrophages are activated under basal conditions and release mediators and express surface markers associated with both alternative and inflammatory macrophage activation. These findings also suggest that activation of SSc macrophages arises from soluble factors in local microenvironments. These studies implicate macrophages as likely drivers of fibrosis in SSc and suggest that therapeutic targeting of these cells may be beneficial in ameliorating disease in SSc patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rajan Bhandari
- Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, Lebanon, New Hampshire
| | - Michael S Ball
- Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, Lebanon, New Hampshire
| | | | - Dillon Popovich
- Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, Hanover, New Hampshire
| | | | - Saemi Han
- Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, Lebanon, New Hampshire
| | | | | | - Mary Carns
- Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, Illinois
| | - Esperanza Arroyo
- Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, Illinois
| | - Kathleen Aren
- Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, Illinois
| | | | - Michael L Whitfield
- Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, Hanover and Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, Lebanon, New Hampshire
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36
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Bujor AM, El Adili F, Parvez A, Marden G, Trojanowska M. Fli1 Downregulation in Scleroderma Myeloid Cells Has Profibrotic and Proinflammatory Effects. Front Immunol 2020; 11:800. [PMID: 32508810 PMCID: PMC7248379 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2020.00800] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2020] [Accepted: 04/07/2020] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Scleroderma (SSc) is an autoimmune connective tissue disease characterized by immune dysregulation, vasculopathy, and fibrosis. We have previously demonstrated that low Fli1 expression in SSc fibroblasts and endothelial cells plays an important role in SSc pathogenesis. Cells of myeloid and lymphoid origin also express Fli1 and are dysregulated in patients with SSc, playing key roles in disease pathogenesis. However, the role for immune Fli1 in SSc is not yet clear. Our aim was to elucidate whether Fli1 contributes to the immune dysregulation seen in SSc. Comparison of the expression of Fli1 in monocytes, B- and T-cell fractions of PBMCs isolated from SSc patients and healthy controls (HC), showed an increase in Fli1 levels in monocytes. We used siRNA transfected human myeloid cells and mouse peritoneal macrophages obtained from Fli1 flox/flox LysMCre+/+ mice, and found that markers of alternative macrophage activation were increased with Fli1 deletion. Coculture of Fli1-deficient myeloid cells and primary human or mouse fibroblasts resulted in a potent induction of collagen type I, independent of TGFβ upregulation. We next analyzed global gene expression profile in response to Fli1 downregulation, to gain further insight into the molecular mechanisms of this process and to identify differentially expressed genes in myeloid cells. Of relevance to SSc, the top most upregulated pathways were hallmark IFN-γ and IFN-α response. Additionally, several genes previously linked to SSc pathogenesis and fibrosis in general were also induced, including CCL2, CCL7, MMP12, and CXCL10. ANKRD1, a profibrotic transcription co-regulator was the top upregulated gene in our array. Our results show that Fli1-deficient myeloid cells share key features with cells from SSc patients, with higher expression of profibrotic markers and activation of interferon responsive genes, thus suggesting that dysregulation of Fli1 in myeloid cells may contribute to SSc pathogenesis.
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MESH Headings
- Animals
- Autoimmune Diseases
- Cells, Cultured
- Coculture Techniques
- Disease Models, Animal
- Down-Regulation
- Fibroblasts/metabolism
- Fibrosis/metabolism
- Fibrosis/pathology
- Gene Expression
- Healthy Volunteers
- Humans
- Macrophages, Peritoneal/metabolism
- Mice
- Mice, Inbred C57BL
- Mice, Knockout
- Mice, Transgenic
- Monocytes/metabolism
- Myeloid Cells/metabolism
- Proto-Oncogene Protein c-fli-1/metabolism
- RNA, Small Interfering
- Scleroderma, Systemic/genetics
- Scleroderma, Systemic/immunology
- Scleroderma, Systemic/metabolism
- Skin/metabolism
- Transforming Growth Factor beta/metabolism
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Affiliation(s)
- Andreea M. Bujor
- Division of Rheumatology, Department of Medicine, Arthritis and Autoimmune Diseases Research Center, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Fatima El Adili
- Division of Rheumatology, Department of Medicine, Arthritis and Autoimmune Diseases Research Center, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, MA, United States
- Division of Rheumatology, Department of Medicine, Whitaker Cardiovascular Institute, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Arshi Parvez
- Division of Rheumatology, Department of Medicine, Arthritis and Autoimmune Diseases Research Center, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Grace Marden
- Division of Rheumatology, Department of Medicine, Arthritis and Autoimmune Diseases Research Center, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Maria Trojanowska
- Division of Rheumatology, Department of Medicine, Arthritis and Autoimmune Diseases Research Center, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, MA, United States
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37
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Kania G, Rudnik M, Distler O. Involvement of the myeloid cell compartment in fibrogenesis and systemic sclerosis. Nat Rev Rheumatol 2020; 15:288-302. [PMID: 30953037 DOI: 10.1038/s41584-019-0212-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
Systemic sclerosis (SSc) is an autoimmune fibrotic disease of unknown aetiology that is characterized by vascular changes in the skin and visceral organs. Autologous haematopoietic stem cell transplantation can improve skin and organ fibrosis in patients with progressive disease and a high risk of organ failure, indicating that cells originating in the bone marrow are important contributors to the pathogenesis of SSc. Animal studies also indicate a pivotal function of myeloid cells in the development of fibrosis leading to changes in the tissue architecture and dysfunction in multiple organs such as the heart, lungs, liver and kidney. In this Review, we summarize current knowledge about the function of myeloid cells in fibrogenesis that occurs in patients with SSc. Targeted therapies currently in clinical studies for SSc might affect myeloid cell-related pathways. Therefore, myeloid cells might be used as cellular biomarkers of disease through the application of high-dimensional techniques such as mass cytometry and single-cell RNA sequencing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gabriela Kania
- Department of Rheumatology, Center of Experimental Rheumatology, University Hospital Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Michal Rudnik
- Department of Rheumatology, Center of Experimental Rheumatology, University Hospital Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Oliver Distler
- Department of Rheumatology, Center of Experimental Rheumatology, University Hospital Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.
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38
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Mamazhakypov A, Viswanathan G, Lawrie A, Schermuly RT, Rajagopal S. The role of chemokines and chemokine receptors in pulmonary arterial hypertension. Br J Pharmacol 2019; 178:72-89. [PMID: 31399998 DOI: 10.1111/bph.14826] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/17/2019] [Revised: 07/25/2019] [Accepted: 07/26/2019] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is characterized by progressive pulmonary artery remodelling leading to increased right ventricular pressure overload, which results in right heart failure and premature death. Inflammation plays a central role in the development of PAH, and the recruitment and function of immune cells are tightly regulated by chemotactic cytokines called chemokines. A number of studies have shown that the development and progression of PAH are associated with the dysregulated expression of several chemokines and chemokine receptors in the pulmonary vasculature. Moreover, some chemokines are differentially regulated in the pressure-overloaded right ventricle. Recent studies have tested the efficacy of pharmacological agents targeting several chemokines and chemokine receptors for their effects on the development of PAH, suggesting that these receptors could serve as useful therapeutic targets. In this review, we provide recent insights into the role of chemokines and chemokine receptors in PAH and RV remodelling and the opportunities and roadblocks in targeting them. LINKED ARTICLES: This article is part of a themed issue on Risk factors, comorbidities, and comedications in cardioprotection. To view the other articles in this section visit http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/bph.v178.1/issuetoc.
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Affiliation(s)
- Argen Mamazhakypov
- Department of Internal Medicine, Member of the German Center for Lung Research (DZL), Justus Liebig University of Giessen, Giessen, Germany
| | - Gayathri Viswanathan
- Division of Cardiology, Department of Medicine, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Allan Lawrie
- Department of Infection, Immunity & Cardiovascular Disease, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK
| | - Ralph Theo Schermuly
- Department of Internal Medicine, Member of the German Center for Lung Research (DZL), Justus Liebig University of Giessen, Giessen, Germany
| | - Sudarshan Rajagopal
- Division of Cardiology, Department of Medicine, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, USA
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39
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Elinoff JM, Mazer AJ, Cai R, Lu M, Graninger G, Harper B, Ferreyra GA, Sun J, Solomon MA, Danner RL. Meta-analysis of blood genome-wide expression profiling studies in pulmonary arterial hypertension. Am J Physiol Lung Cell Mol Physiol 2019; 318:L98-L111. [PMID: 31617731 DOI: 10.1152/ajplung.00252.2019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Inflammatory cell infiltrates are a prominent feature of aberrant vascular remodeling in pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH), suggesting that immune effector cells contribute to disease progression. Genome-wide blood expression profiling studies have attempted to better define this inflammatory component of PAH pathobiology but have been hampered by small sample sizes, methodological differences, and very little gene-level reproducibility. The current meta-analysis (seven studies; 156 PAH patients/110 healthy controls) was performed to assess the comparability of data across studies and to possibly derive a generalizable transcriptomic signature. Idiopathic (IPAH) compared with disease-associated PAH (APAH) displayed highly similar expression profiles with no differentially expressed genes, even after substantially relaxing selection stringency. In contrast, using a false discovery rate of ≤1% and I2 < 40% (low-to-moderate heterogeneity across studies) both IPAH and APAH differed markedly from healthy controls with the combined PAH cohort yielding 1,269 differentially expressed, unique gene transcripts. Bioinformatic analyses, including gene-set enrichment, which uses all available data independent of gene selection thresholds, identified interferon, mammalian target of rapamycin/p70S6K, stress kinase, and Toll-like receptor signaling as enriched mechanisms within the PAH gene signature. Enriched biological functions and diseases included tumorigenesis, autoimmunity, antiviral response, and cell death consistent with prevailing theories of PAH pathogenesis. Although otherwise indistinguishable, APAH (predominantly PAH due to systemic sclerosis) had a somewhat stronger interferon profile than IPAH. Meta-analysis defined a robust and generalizable transcriptomic signature in the blood of PAH patients that can help inform the identification of biomarkers and therapeutic targets.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jason M Elinoff
- Critical Care Medicine Department, Clinical Center, and National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland
| | - Adrien J Mazer
- Critical Care Medicine Department, Clinical Center, and National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland
| | - Rongman Cai
- Critical Care Medicine Department, Clinical Center, and National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland
| | - Mengyun Lu
- Critical Care Medicine Department, Clinical Center, and National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland
| | - Grace Graninger
- Critical Care Medicine Department, Clinical Center, and National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland
| | - Bonnie Harper
- Critical Care Medicine Department, Clinical Center, and National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland
| | - Gabriela A Ferreyra
- Critical Care Medicine Department, Clinical Center, and National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland
| | - Junfeng Sun
- Critical Care Medicine Department, Clinical Center, and National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland
| | - Michael A Solomon
- Critical Care Medicine Department, Clinical Center, and National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland.,Cardiovascular Branch, National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland
| | - Robert L Danner
- Critical Care Medicine Department, Clinical Center, and National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland
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40
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Morse C, Tabib T, Sembrat J, Buschur KL, Bittar HT, Valenzi E, Jiang Y, Kass DJ, Gibson K, Chen W, Mora A, Benos PV, Rojas M, Lafyatis R. Proliferating SPP1/MERTK-expressing macrophages in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. Eur Respir J 2019; 54:1802441. [PMID: 31221805 PMCID: PMC8025672 DOI: 10.1183/13993003.02441-2018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 370] [Impact Index Per Article: 74.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/03/2019] [Accepted: 05/18/2019] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
A comprehensive understanding of the changes in gene expression in cell types involved in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) will shed light on the mechanisms underlying the loss of alveolar epithelial cells and development of honeycomb cysts and fibroblastic foci. We sought to understand changes in IPF lung cell transcriptomes and gain insight into innate immune aspects of pathogenesis.We investigated IPF pathogenesis using single-cell RNA-sequencing of fresh lung explants, comparing human IPF fibrotic lower lobes reflecting late disease, upper lobes reflecting early disease and normal lungs.IPF lower lobes showed increased fibroblasts, and basal, ciliated, goblet and club cells, but decreased alveolar epithelial cells, and marked alterations in inflammatory cells. We found three discrete macrophage subpopulations in normal and fibrotic lungs, one expressing monocyte markers, one highly expressing FABP4 and INHBA (FABP4hi), and one highly expressing SPP1 and MERTK (SPP1hi). SPP1hi macrophages in fibrotic lower lobes showed highly upregulated SPP1 and MERTK expression. Low-level local proliferation of SPP1hi macrophages in normal lungs was strikingly increased in IPF lungs.Co-localisation and causal modelling supported the role for these highly proliferative SPP1hi macrophages in activation of IPF myofibroblasts in lung fibrosis. These data suggest that SPP1hi macrophages contribute importantly to lung fibrosis in IPF, and that therapeutic strategies targeting MERTK and macrophage proliferation may show promise for treatment of this disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christina Morse
- Division of Rheumatology and Clinical Immunology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
- Authors contributed equally to this work
| | - Tracy Tabib
- Division of Rheumatology and Clinical Immunology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
- Authors contributed equally to this work
| | - John Sembrat
- Division of Pulmonary, Allergy and Critical Care, Dept of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Kristina L Buschur
- Dept of Computational and Systems Biology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | | | - Eleanor Valenzi
- Division of Pulmonary, Allergy and Critical Care, Dept of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Yale Jiang
- Division of Pulmonary Medicine, Allergy and Immunology, Dept of Pediatrics, School of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
- School of Medicine, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China
| | - Daniel J Kass
- Division of Pulmonary, Allergy and Critical Care, Dept of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Kevin Gibson
- Division of Pulmonary, Allergy and Critical Care, Dept of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Wei Chen
- Division of Pulmonary Medicine, Allergy and Immunology, Dept of Pediatrics, School of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Ana Mora
- Division of Pulmonary, Allergy and Critical Care, Dept of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Panayiotis V Benos
- Dept of Computational and Systems Biology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Mauricio Rojas
- Division of Pulmonary, Allergy and Critical Care, Dept of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
- Authors contributed equally to this work
| | - Robert Lafyatis
- Division of Rheumatology and Clinical Immunology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
- Authors contributed equally to this work
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Stifano G, Sornasse T, Rice LM, Na L, Chen-Harris H, Khanna D, Jahreis A, Zhang Y, Siegel J, Lafyatis R. Skin Gene Expression Is Prognostic for the Trajectory of Skin Disease in Patients With Diffuse Cutaneous Systemic Sclerosis. Arthritis Rheumatol 2019; 70:912-919. [PMID: 29858547 DOI: 10.1002/art.40455] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/24/2017] [Accepted: 02/08/2018] [Indexed: 02/01/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE At present, there are no clinical or laboratory measures that accurately forecast the progression of skin fibrosis and organ involvement in patients with systemic sclerosis (SSc). The goal of this study was to identify skin biomarkers that could be prognostic for the progression of skin fibrosis in patients with early diffuse cutaneous SSc (dcSSc). METHODS We analyzed clinical data and gene expression in skin biopsy samples from 38 placebo-treated patients, part of the Roche Safety and Efficacy of Subcutaneous Tocilizumab in Adults with Systemic Sclerosis (FASSCINATE) phase II study of tocilizumab in SSc. RNA samples were analyzed using nCounter. A trajectory model based on a modified Rodnan skin thickness score was used to describe 3 skin disease trajectories over time. We examined the association of skin gene expression with skin score trajectory groups, by chi-square test. Logistic regression was used to examine the prognostic power of each gene identified. RESULTS We found that placebo-treated patients with high expression of messenger RNA for CD14, SERPINE1, IL13RA1, CTGF, and OSMR at baseline were more likely to have progressive skin score trajectories. We also found that those genes were prognostic for the risk of skin progression and that IL13RA1, OSMR, and SERPINE1 performed the best. CONCLUSION Skin gene expression of biomarkers associated with macrophages (CD14, IL13RA1) and transforming growth factor β activation (SERPINE1, CTGF, OSMR) are prognostic for progressive skin disease in patients with dcSSc. These biomarkers may provide guidance in decision-making about which patients should be considered for aggressive therapies and/or for clinical trials.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Lisa M Rice
- Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Leo Na
- Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts
| | | | - Dinesh Khanna
- University of Michigan Scleroderma Program, Ann Arbor
| | | | - Yuqing Zhang
- Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts
| | | | - Robert Lafyatis
- University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
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42
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Affandi AJ, Carvalheiro T, Ottria A, Broen JCA, Bossini-Castillo L, Tieland RG, Bon LV, Chouri E, Rossato M, Mertens JS, Garcia S, Pandit A, de Kroon LMG, Christmann RB, Martin J, van Roon JAG, Radstake TRDJ, Marut W. Low RUNX3 expression alters dendritic cell function in patients with systemic sclerosis and contributes to enhanced fibrosis. Ann Rheum Dis 2019; 78:1249-1259. [DOI: 10.1136/annrheumdis-2018-214991] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/28/2018] [Revised: 04/15/2019] [Accepted: 04/22/2019] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
ObjectivesSystemic sclerosis (SSc) is an autoimmune disease with unknown pathogenesis manifested by inflammation, vasculopathy and fibrosis in skin and internal organs. Type I interferon signature found in SSc propelled us to study plasmacytoid dendritic cells (pDCs) in this disease. We aimed to identify candidate pathways underlying pDC aberrancies in SSc and to validate its function on pDC biology.MethodsIn total, 1193 patients with SSc were compared with 1387 healthy donors and 8 patients with localised scleroderma. PCR-based transcription factor profiling and methylation status analyses, single nucleotide polymorphism genotyping by sequencing and flow cytometry analysis were performed in pDCs isolated from the circulation of healthy controls or patients with SSc. pDCs were also cultured under hypoxia, inhibitors of methylation and hypoxia-inducible factors and runt-related transcription factor 3 (RUNX3) levels were determined. To study Runx3 function, Itgax-Cre:Runx3f/f mice were used in in vitro functional assay and bleomycin-induced SSc skin inflammation and fibrosis model.ResultsHere, we show downregulation of transcription factor RUNX3 in SSc pDCs. A higher methylation status of the RUNX3 gene, which is associated with polymorphism rs6672420, correlates with lower RUNX3 expression and SSc susceptibility. Hypoxia is another factor that decreases RUNX3 level in pDC. Mouse pDCs deficient of Runx3 show enhanced maturation markers on CpG stimulation. In vivo, deletion of Runx3 in dendritic cell leads to spontaneous induction of skin fibrosis in untreated mice and increased severity of bleomycin-induced skin fibrosis.ConclusionsWe show at least two pathways potentially causing low RUNX3 level in SSc pDCs, and we demonstrate the detrimental effect of loss of Runx3 in SSc model further underscoring the role of pDCs in this disease.
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Ramos PS, Zimmerman KD, Haddad S, Langefeld CD, Medsger TA, Feghali-Bostwick CA. Integrative analysis of DNA methylation in discordant twins unveils distinct architectures of systemic sclerosis subsets. Clin Epigenetics 2019; 11:58. [PMID: 30947741 PMCID: PMC6449959 DOI: 10.1186/s13148-019-0652-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/27/2018] [Accepted: 03/11/2019] [Indexed: 02/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Systemic sclerosis (SSc) is a rare autoimmune fibrosing disease with an incompletely understood genetic and non-genetic etiology. Defining its etiology is important to allow the development of effective predictive, preventative, and therapeutic strategies. We conducted this epigenomic study to investigate the contributions of DNA methylation to the etiology of SSc while minimizing confounding due to genetic heterogeneity. Methods Genomic methylation in whole blood from 27 twin pairs discordant for SSc was assayed over 450 K CpG sites. In silico integration with reported differentially methylated cytosines, differentially expressed genes, and regulatory annotation was conducted to validate and interpret the results. Results A total of 153 unique cytosines in limited cutaneous SSc (lcSSc) and 266 distinct sites in diffuse cutaneous SSc (dcSSc) showed suggestive differential methylation levels in affected twins. Integration with available data revealed 76 CpGs that were also differentially methylated in blood cells from lupus patients, suggesting their role as potential epigenetic blood biomarkers of autoimmunity. It also revealed 27 genes with concomitant differential expression in blood from SSc patients, including IFI44L and RSAD2. Regulatory annotation revealed that dcSSc-associated CpGs (but not lcSSc) are enriched at Encyclopedia of DNA Elements-, Roadmap-, and BLUEPRINT-derived regulatory regions, supporting their potential role in disease presentation. Notably, the predominant enrichment of regulatory regions in monocytes and macrophages is consistent with the role of these cells in fibrosis, suggesting that the observed cellular dysregulation might be, at least partly, due to altered epigenetic mechanisms of these cells in dcSSc. Conclusions These data implicate epigenetic changes in the pathogenesis of SSc and suggest functional mechanisms in SSc etiology. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (10.1186/s13148-019-0652-y) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paula S Ramos
- Division of Rheumatology and Immunology, Department of Medicine, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, USA.,Department of Public Health Sciences, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, USA
| | - Kip D Zimmerman
- Department of Biostatistics and Data Science, Wake Forest School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC, USA.,Center for Public Health Genomics, Wake Forest School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC, USA
| | | | - Carl D Langefeld
- Department of Biostatistics and Data Science, Wake Forest School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC, USA.,Center for Public Health Genomics, Wake Forest School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC, USA
| | - Thomas A Medsger
- Division of Rheumatology and Clinical Immunology, Department of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Carol A Feghali-Bostwick
- Division of Rheumatology and Immunology, Department of Medicine, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, USA.
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44
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Butrous G. Schistosome infection and its effect on pulmonary circulation. Glob Cardiol Sci Pract 2019; 2019:5. [PMID: 31024947 PMCID: PMC6472693 DOI: 10.21542/gcsp.2019.5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/02/2018] [Accepted: 12/17/2018] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Schistosomiasis is the most common parasitic disease associated with pulmonary hypertension. It induces remodelling via complex inflammatory processes, which eventually produce the clinical manifestation of pulmonary hypertension. The pulmonary hypertension shows clinical signs and symptoms that are not distinguishable from other forms of pulmonary arterial hypertension.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ghazwan Butrous
- Professor of Cardiopulmonary Sciences, Medway School of Pharmacy, University of Kent, UK and University of Greenwich, Central Ave, Gillingham, Chatham ME4 4BF, Kent, UK
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Abstract
Abstract
Background
Interleukin (IL)-13 is a regulatory factor of tissue remodeling and is involved in the pathogenesis of pulmonary artery hypertension (PAH). However, the implications of IL-13 in PAH remains uncertain. This article aims to describe the current knowledge on production and function of IL-13 and its receptors in the mechanisms of PAH.
Content
The study materials of this article were based on comprehensive literature retrieval of publications of IL-13 in PAH. These study materials were carefully reviewed, analyzed and discussed.
Summary
IL-13 levels in blood and lung tissue were elevated in both animal models of PAH and patients with PAH in comparison to non-PAH controls. Types I and II IL-13 receptors participate in pulmonary artery remodeling through signal transducer and activator of transcription (STAT)6 or through phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K), STAT3 and mitogen activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathways. Oxidant, arginase 2 (Arg2) and hypoxia-inducible factor 1α are involved in the proliferation of pulmonary artery smooth muscle cells.
Outlook
Types I and II IL-13 receptors play an important role in the IL-13 signaling by STAT6 via Janus kinase kinases, and by PI3K, STAT3 and MAPK pathways, respectively. Alternative pathways, including oxidant, Arg2 and hypoxia-inducible factor 1α might be also involved in the pathological process of PAH development. Investigational therapies by inflammatory suppression or thrombolytic and anticoagulant agents could inhibit intimal hyperplasia of the pulmonary arteries and suppress pulmonary vasculature remodeling. Drug research and development oriented by this hypothesis would confer benefits to the treatment of PAH.
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Mariotti B, Servaas NH, Rossato M, Tamassia N, Cassatella MA, Cossu M, Beretta L, van der Kroef M, Radstake TRDJ, Bazzoni F. The Long Non-coding RNA NRIR Drives IFN-Response in Monocytes: Implication for Systemic Sclerosis. Front Immunol 2019; 10:100. [PMID: 30804934 PMCID: PMC6371048 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2019.00100] [Citation(s) in RCA: 54] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/24/2018] [Accepted: 01/14/2019] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
TLR4 activation initiates a signaling cascade leading to the production of type I IFNs and of the downstream IFN-stimulated genes (ISGs). Recently, a number of IFN-induced long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) that feed-back regulate the IFN response have been identified. Dysregulation of this process, collectively known as the "Interferon (IFN) Response," represents a common molecular basis in the development of autoimmune and autoinflammatory disorders. Concurrently, alteration of lncRNA profile has been described in several type I IFN-driven autoimmune diseases. In particular, both TLR activation and the upregulation of ISGs in peripheral blood mononuclear cells have been identified as possible contributors to the pathogenesis of systemic sclerosis (SSc), a connective tissue disease characterized by vascular abnormalities, immune activation, and fibrosis. However, hitherto, a potential link between specific lncRNA and the presence of a type I IFN signature remains unclear in SSc. In this study, we identified, by RNA sequencing, a group of lncRNAs related to the IFN and anti-viral response consistently modulated in a type I IFN-dependent manner in human monocytes in response to TLR4 activation by LPS. Remarkably, these lncRNAs were concurrently upregulated in a total of 46 SSc patients in different stages of their disease as compared to 18 healthy controls enrolled in this study. Among these lncRNAs, Negative Regulator of the IFN Response (NRIR) was found significantly upregulated in vivo in SSc monocytes, strongly correlating with the IFN score of SSc patients. Weighted Gene Co-expression Network Analysis showed that NRIR-specific modules, identified in the two datasets, were enriched in "type I IFN" and "viral response" biological processes. Protein coding genes common to the two distinct NRIR modules were selected as putative NRIR target genes. Fifteen in silico-predicted NRIR target genes were experimentally validated in NRIR-silenced monocytes. Remarkably, induction of CXCL10 and CXCL11, two IFN-related chemokines associated with SSc pathogenesis, was reduced in NRIR-knockdown monocytes, while their plasmatic level was increased in SSc patients. Collectively, our data show that NRIR affects the expression of ISGs and that dysregulation of NRIR in SSc monocytes may account, at least in part, for the type I IFN signature present in SSc patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Barbara Mariotti
- General Pathology Section, Department of Medicine, University of Verona, Verona, Italy
| | - Nila Hendrika Servaas
- Department of Rheumatology and Clinical Immunology, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, Netherlands
- Laboratory of Translational Immunology, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, Netherlands
| | - Marzia Rossato
- Department of Rheumatology and Clinical Immunology, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, Netherlands
- Laboratory of Translational Immunology, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, Netherlands
- Department of Biotechnology, University of Verona, Verona, Italy
| | - Nicola Tamassia
- General Pathology Section, Department of Medicine, University of Verona, Verona, Italy
| | - Marco A. Cassatella
- General Pathology Section, Department of Medicine, University of Verona, Verona, Italy
| | - Marta Cossu
- Department of Rheumatology and Clinical Immunology, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, Netherlands
- Laboratory of Translational Immunology, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, Netherlands
| | - Lorenzo Beretta
- Scleroderma Unit, Fondazione IRCCS Ca' Granda Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico di Milano, Referral Center for Systemic Autoimmune Diseases, Milan, Italy
| | - Maarten van der Kroef
- Department of Rheumatology and Clinical Immunology, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, Netherlands
- Laboratory of Translational Immunology, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, Netherlands
| | - Timothy R. D. J. Radstake
- Department of Rheumatology and Clinical Immunology, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, Netherlands
- Laboratory of Translational Immunology, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, Netherlands
| | - Flavia Bazzoni
- General Pathology Section, Department of Medicine, University of Verona, Verona, Italy
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Schweitzer F, Tarantelli R, Rayens E, Kling HM, Mattila JT, Norris KA. Monocyte and Alveolar Macrophage Skewing Is Associated with the Development of Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension in a Primate Model of HIV Infection. AIDS Res Hum Retroviruses 2019; 35:63-74. [PMID: 30229666 DOI: 10.1089/aid.2018.0132] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/05/2023] Open
Abstract
We investigated the relationship of monocytes, alveolar, and tissue-resident macrophage populations and the development of pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) in a nonhuman primate model of HIV infection. A prospective study of simian immunodeficiency virus-associated pulmonary arterial hypertension (SIV-PAH) was done. Rhesus macaques (n = 21) were infected with SIV. Blood, bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF), and lung tissue were analyzed for monocyte and macrophage phenotypes and inflammatory mediators. Serial right heart catheterizations were performed at three time points throughout the study to assess hemodynamic alterations and the development of PAH. All 21 animals showed similar courses of SIV infection with an increasing proinflammatory plasma environment. At 6 months postinfection (mpi), 11 of 21 animals developed SIV-PAH (mPAP ≤25 mmHg; right ventricular systolic pressure [RVSP] ≤36 mmHg). PAH+ animals had an increased frequency of proinflammatory, nonclassical monocytes (CD14dimCD16+) (p = .06) in the peripheral blood and CD14+CCR7-CD163-CD206+ macrophages (p = .04) in BALF compared with PAH- animals at 6 mpi. Increased frequencies of these monocyte and macrophage phenotypes correlated with elevated RVSP (p = .04; p = .03). In addition, PAH+ animals had greater frequencies of tissue resident inflammatory M1-like CD68+STAT1+ (p = .001) and M2a-like CD68+STAT3+ macrophages (p = .003) and a lower frequency of anti-inflammatory M2c-like CD68+STAT6+ macrophages (p = .003) as well as fewer interleukin (IL)-10+ cells (p = .01). The results suggest that HIV-PAH is associated with skewing of monocytes and alveolar macrophages toward a proinflammatory, profibrotic phenotype. Furthermore, PAH+ animals may have diminished capacity to downregulate exaggerated chronic inflammation, as indicated by lower levels of IL-10 in PAH+ animals, contributing to disease progression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Finja Schweitzer
- Center for Vaccines and Immunology, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia
| | - Rebecca Tarantelli
- Center for Vaccines and Immunology, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia
| | - Emily Rayens
- Center for Vaccines and Immunology, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia
| | - Heather M. Kling
- Department of Immunology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
| | - Joshua T. Mattila
- Department of Infectious Diseases and Microbiology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
| | - Karen A. Norris
- Center for Vaccines and Immunology, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia
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48
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Brown M, O'Reilly S. The immunopathogenesis of fibrosis in systemic sclerosis. Clin Exp Immunol 2018; 195:310-321. [PMID: 30430560 DOI: 10.1111/cei.13238] [Citation(s) in RCA: 109] [Impact Index Per Article: 18.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 11/07/2018] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Systemic sclerosis (SSc) is an idiopathic systemic autoimmune disease. It is characterized by a triad of hallmarks: immune dysfunction, fibrosis and vasculopathy. Immune dysfunction in SSc is characterized by the activation and recruitment of immune cells and the production of autoantibodies and cytokines. How immune abnormalities link the fibrosis and vasculopathy in SSc is poorly understood. A plethora of immune cell types are implicated in the immunopathogenesis of SSc, including T cells, B cells, dendritic cells, mast cells and macrophages. How these different cell types interact to contribute to SSc is complicated, and can involve cell-to-cell interactions and communication via cytokines, including transforming growth factor (TGF)-β, interleukin (IL)-6 and IL-4. We will attempt to review significant and recent research demonstrating the importance of immune cell regulation in the immunopathogenesis of SSc with a particular focus on fibrosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- M Brown
- Faculty of Health and Life Sciences, Northumbria University, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK
| | - S O'Reilly
- Faculty of Health and Life Sciences, Northumbria University, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK
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49
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Siebuhr AS, Juhl P, Bay-Jensen AC, Karsdal MA, Franchimont N, Chavez JC. Citrullinated vimentin and biglycan protein fingerprints as candidate serological biomarkers for disease activity in systemic sclerosis: a pilot study. Biomarkers 2018; 24:249-254. [PMID: 30457356 DOI: 10.1080/1354750x.2018.1548032] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/27/2022]
Abstract
Purpose: Extracellular matrix (ECM) deposition and remodelling in skin and lungs of systemic sclerosis (SSc) subjects lead to release of metabolites/biomarkers into circulation. We investigated if biomarkers of ECM degradation (biglycan and elastin) and macrophage activation (citrullinated vimentin) could identify diffuse SSc (dSSc) subjects from controls and the biomarkers discriminative power. Methods: DSSc subjects (n = 40) fulfilling the 2013 EULAR/ACR classification criteria were divided in early (<2years of symptoms) and late (≥10 years of symptoms). Early were subdivided into intermediate and rapid skin thickness progression rate (STPR). Twenty controls were included. Citrullinated and matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-2/8-degraded vimentin (VICM), MMP-9/12-degraded biglycan (BGM) and MMP-7-degraded elastin (ELM-7) were assessed in serum. Analysis between groups was by Kruskal-Wallis and ROC AUC for discriminative power. Results: VICM and BGM levels were increased in early compared with late dSSc (p< =0.023). VICM was increased in rapid and intermediate STPR compared with controls (p< =0.025). No differences in ELM-7 levels were observed. AUC of VICM was 0.71 for early versus late dSSc and BGM had an AUC of 0.79 for dSSc versus controls. Conclusion: This pilot study found differences in biomarker levels between early and late dSSc. This study offers new perspectives of ECM metabolites as potential biomarkers of dSSc.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anne Sofie Siebuhr
- a Department of Rheumatology, Biomarkers and Research, Nordic Bioscience , Herlev , Denmark
| | - Pernille Juhl
- a Department of Rheumatology, Biomarkers and Research, Nordic Bioscience , Herlev , Denmark
| | - Anne-C Bay-Jensen
- a Department of Rheumatology, Biomarkers and Research, Nordic Bioscience , Herlev , Denmark
| | - Morten A Karsdal
- a Department of Rheumatology, Biomarkers and Research, Nordic Bioscience , Herlev , Denmark
| | | | - Juan C Chavez
- b Clinical Development, Biogen , Cambridge , MA , USA
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Ichimura K, Matoba T, Koga JI, Nakano K, Funamoto D, Tsutsui H, Egashira K. Nanoparticle-Mediated Targeting of Pitavastatin to Small Pulmonary Arteries and Leukocytes by Intravenous Administration Attenuates the Progression of Monocrotaline-Induced Established Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension in Rats. Int Heart J 2018; 59:1432-1444. [PMID: 30369578 DOI: 10.1536/ihj.17-683] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
Statins are known to improve pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) by their anti-inflammatory and anti-proliferative effects in animal models. However, recent clinical studies have reported that clinically approved statin doses failed to improve clinical outcomes in patients with PAH. We therefore hypothesized that nanoparticle (NP) -mediated targeting of pitavastatin could attenuate the progression of established PAH.We induced PAH by subcutaneously injecting monocrotaline (MCT) in Sprague-Dawley rats. On day 14 after the MCT injection, animals that displayed established PAH on echocardiography were included. On day 17, they were randomly assigned to the following 5 groups: daily intravenous administration of (1) vehicle, (2) fluorescein-isothiocyanate-NP, (3) pitavastatin, (4) pitavastatin-NP, or (5) oral sildenafil. Intravenous NP was selectively delivered to small pulmonary arteries and circulating CD11b-positive leukocytes. On day 21, pitavastatin-NP attenuated the progression of PAH at lower doses than pitavastatin alone. This was associated with the inhibition of monocyte-mediated inflammation, proliferation, and remodeling of the pulmonary arteries. Interestingly, sildenafil attenuated the development of PAH, but had no effects on inflammation or remodeling of the pulmonary arteries. In separate experiments, only treatment with pitavastatin-NP reduced the mortality rate at day 35.NP-mediated targeting of pitavastatin to small pulmonary arteries and leukocytes attenuated the progression of established MCT-induced PAH and improved survival. Therapeutically, pitavastatin-NP was associated with anti-inflammatory and anti-proliferative effects on small pulmonary arteries, which was completely distinct from the vasodilatory effect of sildenafil. Pitavastatin-NP can be a novel therapeutic modality for PAH.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kenzo Ichimura
- Department of Cardiovascular Medicine, Kyushu University Graduate School of Medical Sciences
| | - Tetsuya Matoba
- Department of Cardiovascular Medicine, Kyushu University Graduate School of Medical Sciences
| | - Jun-Ichiro Koga
- Department of Cardiovascular Research, Development, and Translational Medicine, Center for Disruptive Cardiovascular Medicine, Kyushu University
| | - Kaku Nakano
- Department of Cardiovascular Research, Development, and Translational Medicine, Center for Disruptive Cardiovascular Medicine, Kyushu University
| | - Daiki Funamoto
- Department of Cardiovascular Research, Development, and Translational Medicine, Center for Disruptive Cardiovascular Medicine, Kyushu University
| | - Hiroyuki Tsutsui
- Department of Cardiovascular Medicine, Kyushu University Graduate School of Medical Sciences
| | - Kensuke Egashira
- Department of Cardiovascular Research, Development, and Translational Medicine, Center for Disruptive Cardiovascular Medicine, Kyushu University
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