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Abstract
Although most of the rheumatologic diseases can be diagnosed based on clinical examination combined with additional laboratory and radiographic tests, histological examination of synovial tissue may lead to the correct diagnosis and adjustment of therapy when neoplastic or granulomatous disease, deposition disease or infection in spite of negative synovial fluid culture is suspected. For research purposes synovial tissue analysis is used to investigate the pathological changes of the synovium in studies aimed at elucidating the aetiology and pathogenetic mechanisms involved in arthritis. In addition, the use of synovial biomarkers has been shown to be instrumental in the developmental process of new therapeutics. In this chapter, several minimally invasive techniques for acquiring synovial tissue samples, handling of the tissue and the analysis thereof are described.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniëlle M Gerlag
- Division of Clinical Immunology and Rheumatology, Academic Medical Centre/University of Amsterdam, F4-105, P.O. Box 22700, 1100 DE Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
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Arend WP, Mehta G, Antonioli AH, Takahashi M, Takahashi K, Stahl GL, Holers VM, Banda NK. Roles of adipocytes and fibroblasts in activation of the alternative pathway of complement in inflammatory arthritis in mice. THE JOURNAL OF IMMUNOLOGY 2013; 190:6423-33. [PMID: 23650618 DOI: 10.4049/jimmunol.1300580] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
The complement system is involved in mediation of joint damage in rheumatoid arthritis, with evidence suggesting activation of both the classical and alternative pathway (AP). The AP is both necessary and sufficient to mediate collagen Ab-induced arthritis, an experimental animal model of immune complex-induced joint disease. The AP in mice is dependent on MASP-1/3 cleavage of pro-factor D (pro-FD) into mature factor D (FD). The objectives of the current study were to determine the cells synthesizing MASP-1/3 and pro-FD in synovial tissue. Collagen Ab-induced arthritis was studied in wild-type C57BL/6 mice, and the localization of mRNA and protein for FD and MASP-1/3 in synovial adipose tissue (SAT) and fibroblast-like synoviocytes (FLS) was determined using various techniques, including laser capture microdissection. SAT was the sole source of mRNA for pro-FD. Cultured differentiated 3T3 adipocytes, a surrogate for SAT, produced pro-FD but no mature FD. FLS were the main source of MASP-1/3 mRNA and protein. Using cartilage microparticles (CMPs) coated with anti-collagen mAb and serum from MASP-1/3(-/-) mice as a source of factor B, pro-FD in 3T3 supernatants was cleaved into mature FD by MASP-1/3 in FLS supernatants. The mature FD was eluted from the CMP, and was not present in the supernatants from the incubation with CMP, indicating that cleavage of pro-FD into mature FD by MASP-1 occurred on the CMP. These results demonstrate that pathogenic activation of the AP can occur in the joint through immune complexes adherent to cartilage and the local production of necessary AP proteins by adipocytes and FLS.
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Affiliation(s)
- William P Arend
- Division of Rheumatology, Department of Medicine, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, CO 80045, USA
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Lefèvre S, Knedla A, Tennie C, Kampmann A, Wunrau C, Dinser R, Korb A, Schnäker EM, Tarner IH, Robbins PD, Evans CH, Stürz H, Steinmeyer J, Gay S, Schölmerich J, Pap T, Müller-Ladner U, Neumann E. Synovial fibroblasts spread rheumatoid arthritis to unaffected joints. Nat Med 2009; 15:1414-20. [PMID: 19898488 PMCID: PMC3678354 DOI: 10.1038/nm.2050] [Citation(s) in RCA: 462] [Impact Index Per Article: 30.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/10/2008] [Accepted: 09/21/2009] [Indexed: 01/29/2023]
Abstract
Active rheumatoid arthritis originates from few joints but subsequently affects the majority of joints. Thus far, the pathways of the progression of the disease are largely unknown. As rheumatoid arthritis synovial fibroblasts (RASFs) which can be found in RA synovium are key players in joint destruction and are able to migrate in vitro, we evaluated the potential of RASFs to spread the disease in vivo. To simulate the primary joint of origin, we implanted healthy human cartilage together with RASFs subcutaneously into severe combined immunodeficient (SCID) mice. At the contralateral flank, we implanted healthy cartilage without cells. RASFs showed an active movement to the naive cartilage via the vasculature independent of the site of application of RASFs into the SCID mouse, leading to a marked destruction of the target cartilage. These findings support the hypothesis that the characteristic clinical phenomenon of destructive arthritis spreading between joints is mediated, at least in part, by the transmigration of activated RASFs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stephanie Lefèvre
- Department of Internal Medicine and Rheumatology, Justus-Liebig-University Giessen, Kerckhoff-Clinic, Bad Nauheim, Germany
| | - Anette Knedla
- Department of Internal Medicine and Rheumatology, Justus-Liebig-University Giessen, Kerckhoff-Clinic, Bad Nauheim, Germany
| | - Christoph Tennie
- Department of Internal Medicine and Rheumatology, Justus-Liebig-University Giessen, Kerckhoff-Clinic, Bad Nauheim, Germany
| | - Andreas Kampmann
- Department of Internal Medicine and Rheumatology, Justus-Liebig-University Giessen, Kerckhoff-Clinic, Bad Nauheim, Germany
| | - Christina Wunrau
- Institute of Experimental Muskuloskeletal Medicine, University Hospital Muenster, Germany
| | - Robert Dinser
- Department of Internal Medicine and Rheumatology, Justus-Liebig-University Giessen, Kerckhoff-Clinic, Bad Nauheim, Germany
| | - Adelheid Korb
- Department of Internal Medicine D, Nephrology and Rheumatology, University Hospital Muenster, Germany
| | | | - Ingo H. Tarner
- Department of Internal Medicine and Rheumatology, Justus-Liebig-University Giessen, Kerckhoff-Clinic, Bad Nauheim, Germany
| | - Paul D. Robbins
- Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, University of Pittsburgh, School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | | | - Henning Stürz
- Department of Orthopedics and Orthopedic Surgery, University Hospital Giessen and Marburg, Giessen, Germany
| | - Jürgen Steinmeyer
- Deptment of Orthopedics and Experimental Orthopedics, University Hospital Giessen and Marburg Giessen, Germany
| | - Steffen Gay
- Center for Experimental Rheumatology, Zürich Center for Integrative Human Physiology, USZ, Zürich, Switzerland
| | | | - Thomas Pap
- Institute of Experimental Muskuloskeletal Medicine, University Hospital Muenster, Germany
| | - Ulf Müller-Ladner
- Department of Internal Medicine and Rheumatology, Justus-Liebig-University Giessen, Kerckhoff-Clinic, Bad Nauheim, Germany
| | - Elena Neumann
- Department of Internal Medicine and Rheumatology, Justus-Liebig-University Giessen, Kerckhoff-Clinic, Bad Nauheim, Germany
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Bauer JW, Bilgic H, Baechler EC. Gene-expression profiling in rheumatic disease: tools and therapeutic potential. Nat Rev Rheumatol 2009; 5:257-65. [PMID: 19412192 DOI: 10.1038/nrrheum.2009.50] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
Gene-expression profiling is a powerful tool for the discovery of molecular fingerprints that underlie human disease. Microarray technologies allow the analysis of messenger RNA transcript levels for every gene in the genome. However, gene-expression profiling is best viewed as part of a pipeline that extends from sample collection through clinical application. Key genes and pathways identified by microarray profiling should be validated in independent sample sets and with alternative technologies. Analysis of relevant signaling pathways at the protein level is an important step towards understanding the functional consequences of aberrant gene expression. Peripheral blood is a convenient and rich source of potential biomarkers, but surveying purified cell populations and target tissues can also enhance our understanding of disease states. In rheumatic disease, probing the transcriptome of circulating immune cells has shed light on mechanisms underlying the pathogenesis of complex diseases, such as systemic lupus erythematosus. As these discoveries advance through the pipeline, a variety of clinical applications are on the horizon, including the use of molecular fingerprints to aid in diagnosis and prognosis, improved use of existing therapies, and the development of drugs that target relevant genes and pathways.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jason W Bauer
- Division of Rheumatic and Autoimmune Diseases, Department of Medicine, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA
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