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Dong C, Liu Y, Sun C, Liang H, Dai L, Shen J, Wei S, Guo S, Leong KW, Chen Y, Wei L, Liu L. Identification of Specific Joint-Inflammatogenic Cell-Free DNA Molecules From Synovial Fluids of Patients With Rheumatoid Arthritis. Front Immunol 2020; 11:662. [PMID: 32411129 PMCID: PMC7198838 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2020.00662] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/15/2020] [Accepted: 03/23/2020] [Indexed: 01/22/2023] Open
Abstract
Elevated cell-free DNA (cfDNA) levels in the plasma and synovial fluid of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients are proposed to be pathologically relevant. However, direct evidence to support this perception is lacking, and molecular feature of the cfDNA molecules with assumed pathological function is not well characterized. Here, we confirm remarkably increased levels of total synovial fluid and plasma cfDNAs in a large cohort of patients with rheumatoid arthritis compared to the counterparts in osteoarthritis, and demonstrate the potent inflammatogenic effects of RA synovial fluid cfDNA on both human monocyte cell line and primary cells related to RA. Massively parallel sequencing identifies distinct molecular pattern of cfDNA in RA, as characterized by enriching CpG-motif containing sequences. Importantly, these identified CpG-motif-rich sequences are hypomethylated in RA patients and induce severe inflammatory responses both in vitro and in vivo. Our data demonstrate the pathological role of global and specific cfDNA molecules in RA, thereby identifying novel therapeutic target candidate and potential biomarker for RA.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cong Dong
- Key Laboratory for Polymeric Composite and Functional Materials of Ministry of Education, Center for Functional Biomaterials, School of Materials Science and Engineering, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Yu Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Ophthalmology, Zhongshan Ophthalmic Center, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Chengxin Sun
- Key Laboratory for Polymeric Composite and Functional Materials of Ministry of Education, Center for Functional Biomaterials, School of Materials Science and Engineering, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Huiyi Liang
- Key Laboratory for Polymeric Composite and Functional Materials of Ministry of Education, Center for Functional Biomaterials, School of Materials Science and Engineering, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Lie Dai
- Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Jun Shen
- Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Song Wei
- Department of Rheumatology, General Hospital of Guangzhou Military Command of PLA, Guangzhou, China
| | - Shixin Guo
- State Key Laboratory of Ophthalmology, Zhongshan Ophthalmic Center, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Kam W Leong
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Columbia University, New York, NY, United States
| | - Yongming Chen
- Key Laboratory for Polymeric Composite and Functional Materials of Ministry of Education, Center for Functional Biomaterials, School of Materials Science and Engineering, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Lai Wei
- State Key Laboratory of Ophthalmology, Zhongshan Ophthalmic Center, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Lixin Liu
- Key Laboratory for Polymeric Composite and Functional Materials of Ministry of Education, Center for Functional Biomaterials, School of Materials Science and Engineering, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
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