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Raposo B, Klareskog L, Robinson WH, Malmström V, Grönwall C. The peculiar features, diversity and impact of citrulline-reactive autoantibodies. Nat Rev Rheumatol 2024; 20:399-416. [PMID: 38858604 DOI: 10.1038/s41584-024-01124-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 05/10/2024] [Indexed: 06/12/2024]
Abstract
Since entering the stage 25 years ago as a highly specific serological biomarker for rheumatoid arthritis, anti-citrullinated protein antibodies (ACPAs) have been a topic of extensive research. This hallmark B cell response arises years before disease onset, displays interpatient autoantigen variability, and is associated with poor clinical outcomes. Technological and scientific advances have revealed broad clonal diversity and intriguing features including high levels of somatic hypermutation, variable-domain N-linked glycosylation, hapten-like peptide interactions, and clone-specific multireactivity to citrullinated, carbamylated and acetylated epitopes. ACPAs have been found in different isotypes and subclasses, in both circulation and tissue, and are secreted by both plasmablasts and long-lived plasma cells. Notably, although some disease-promoting features have been reported, results now demonstrate that certain monoclonal ACPAs therapeutically block arthritis and inflammation in mouse models. A wealth of functional studies using patient-derived polyclonal and monoclonal antibodies have provided evidence for pathogenic and protective effects of ACPAs in the context of arthritis. To understand the roles of ACPAs, one needs to consider their immunological properties by incorporating different facets such as rheumatoid arthritis B cell biology, environmental triggers and chronic antigen exposure. The emerging picture points to a complex role of citrulline-reactive autoantibodies, in which the diversity and dynamics of antibody clones could determine clinical progression and manifestations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bruno Raposo
- Department of Medicine, Division of Rheumatology, Center for Molecular Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, Karolinska University Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Lars Klareskog
- Department of Medicine, Division of Rheumatology, Center for Molecular Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, Karolinska University Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - William H Robinson
- Division of Immunology and Rheumatology, Department of Medicine, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA
- VA Palo Alto Health Care System, Palo Alto, CA, USA
| | - Vivianne Malmström
- Department of Medicine, Division of Rheumatology, Center for Molecular Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, Karolinska University Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden.
| | - Caroline Grönwall
- Department of Medicine, Division of Rheumatology, Center for Molecular Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, Karolinska University Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden
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2
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van der Woude D, Toes REM. Immune response to post-translationally modified proteins in rheumatoid arthritis: what makes it special? Ann Rheum Dis 2024; 83:838-846. [PMID: 38378236 DOI: 10.1136/ard-2023-224103] [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: 12/19/2023] [Accepted: 02/01/2024] [Indexed: 02/22/2024]
Abstract
Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) exhibits common characteristics with numerous other autoimmune diseases, including the presence of susceptibility genes and the presence of disease-specific autoantibodies. Anti-citrullinated protein antibodies (ACPA) are the hallmarking autoantibodies in RA and the anti-citrullinated protein immune response has been implicated in disease pathogenesis. Insight into the immunological pathways leading to anti-citrullinated protein immunity will not only aid understanding of RA pathogenesis, but may also contribute to elucidation of similar mechanisms in other autoantibody-positive autoimmune diseases. Similarly, lessons learnt in other human autoimmune diseases might be relevant to understand potential drivers of RA. In this review, we will summarise several novel insights into the biology of the anti-citrullinated protein response and their clinical associations that have been obtained in recent years. These insights include the identification of glycans in the variable domain of ACPA, the realisation that ACPA are polyreactive towards other post-translational modifications on proteins, as well as new awareness of the contributing role of mucosal sites to the development of the ACPA response. These findings will be mirrored to emerging concepts obtained in other human (autoimmune) disease characterised by disease-specific autoantibodies. Together with an updated understanding of genetic and environmental risk factors and fresh perspectives on how the microbiome could contribute to antibody formation, these advancements coalesce to a progressively clearer picture of the B cell reaction to modified antigens in the progression of RA.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - René E M Toes
- Rheumatology, Leids Universitair Medisch Centrum, Leiden, The Netherlands
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3
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Steiner G, Toes RE. Autoantibodies in rheumatoid arthritis - rheumatoid factor, anticitrullinated protein antibodies and beyond. Curr Opin Rheumatol 2024; 36:217-224. [PMID: 38411194 PMCID: PMC11139241 DOI: 10.1097/bor.0000000000001006] [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] [Indexed: 02/28/2024]
Abstract
PURPOSE OF REVIEW RA is characterized by the presence of autoantibodies among which rheumatoid factors (RFs) and antimodified protein antibodies (AMPA) are serological hallmarks of the disease. In recent years, several novel insights into the biology, immunogenetics and clinical relevance of these autoantibodies have been obtained, which deserve to be discussed in more detail. RECENT FINDINGS RFs from RA patients seem to target distinct epitopes which appear to be quite specific for RA. Determination of immunoglobulin A (IgA) isotypes of RF and anticitrullinated protein antibodies (ACPA) may provide prognostic information because their presence is associated with reduced therapeutic responses to TNF inhibitors. Furthermore, IgA levels are increased in RA patients and IgA immune complexes are more potent than immunoglobulin G (IgG) complexes in inducing NET formation. Concerning AMPAs, investigations on variable domain glycosylation (VDG) revealed effects on antigen binding and activation of autoreactive B cells. Studies on pathogenetic involvement of ACPA suggest Janus-faced roles: on the one hand, ACPA may be involved in joint destruction and pain perception while on the other hand protective anti-inflammatory effects may be attributed to a subset of ACPAs. SUMMARY The autoimmune response in RA is extremely complex and still far from being fully understood. Antibodies are not only valuable diagnostic biomarkers but also seem to play pivotal roles in the pathophysiology of RA.
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Affiliation(s)
- Günter Steiner
- Division of Rheumatology, Department of Internal Medicine III; Medical University of Vienna
- Ludwig Boltzmann Institute for Arthritis and Rehabilitation, Vienna, Austria
| | - René E.M. Toes
- Department of Rheumatology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands
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4
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He Y, Aoun M, Xu Z, Holmdahl R. Shift in perspective: autoimmunity protecting against rheumatoid arthritis. Ann Rheum Dis 2024; 83:550-555. [PMID: 38413169 DOI: 10.1136/ard-2023-225237] [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: 12/19/2023] [Accepted: 01/30/2024] [Indexed: 02/29/2024]
Abstract
A hallmark of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is the increased levels of autoantibodies preceding the onset and contributing to the classification of the disease. These autoantibodies, mainly anti-citrullinated protein antibody (ACPA) and rheumatoid factor, have been assumed to be pathogenic and many attempts have been made to link them to the development of bone erosion, pain and arthritis. We and others have recently discovered that most cloned ACPA protect against experimental arthritis in the mouse. In addition, we have identified suppressor B cells in healthy individuals, selected in response to collagen type II, and these cells decrease in numbers in RA. These findings provide a new angle on how to explain the development of RA and maybe also other complex autoimmune diseases preceded by an increased autoimmune response.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yibo He
- Department of Medical Biochemistry and Biophysics, Karolinska Institute, Solna, Sweden
| | - Mike Aoun
- Department of Medical Biochemistry and Biophysics, Karolinska Institute, Solna, Sweden
| | - Zhongwei Xu
- Department of Medical Biochemistry and Biophysics, Karolinska Institute, Solna, Sweden
| | - Rikard Holmdahl
- Department of Medical Biochemistry and Biophysics, Karolinska Institute, Solna, Sweden
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5
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McGrath S, Grimstad K, Thorarinsdottir K, Forslind K, Glinatsi D, Leu Agelii M, Aranburu A, Sundell T, Jonsson CA, Camponeschi A, Hultgård Ekwall AK, Tilevik A, Gjertsson I, Mårtensson IL. Correlation of Professional Antigen-Presenting Tbet +CD11c + B Cells With Bone Destruction in Untreated Rheumatoid Arthritis. Arthritis Rheumatol 2024. [PMID: 38570939 DOI: 10.1002/art.42857] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/24/2023] [Revised: 02/09/2024] [Accepted: 04/01/2024] [Indexed: 04/05/2024]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Subsets of CD21-/low memory B cells (MBCs), including double-negative (DN, CD27-IgD-) and Tbet+CD11c+ cells, are expanded in chronic inflammatory diseases. In rheumatoid arthritis (RA), CD21-/low MBCs correlate with joint destruction. However, whether this is due to the Tbet+CD11c+ subset, its function and pathogenic contribution to RA are unknown. This study aims to investigate the association between CD21-/lowTbet+CD11c+ MBCs and joint destruction as well as other clinical parameters and to elucidate their functional properties in patients with untreated RA (uRA). METHODS Clinical observations were combined with flow cytometry (n = 36) and single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) and V(D)J sequencing (n = 4) of peripheral blood (PB) MBCs from patients with uRA. The transcriptome of circulating Tbet+CD11c+ MBCs was compared with scRNA-seq data of synovial B cells. In vitro coculture of Tbet+CD11c+ B cells with T cells was used to assess costimulatory capacity. RESULTS CD21-/lowTbet+CD11c+ MBCs in PB correlated with bone destruction but no other clinical parameters analyzed. The Tbet+CD11c+ MBCs have undergone clonal expansion and express somatically mutated V genes. Gene expression analysis of these cells identified a unique signature of more than 150 up-regulated genes associated with antigen presentation functions, including B cell receptor activation and clathrin-mediated antigen internalization; regulation of actin filaments, endosomes, and lysosomes; antigen processing, loading, presentation, and costimulation; a transcriptome mirrored in their synovial tissue counterparts. In vitro, Tbet+CD11c+ B cells induced retinoic acid receptor-related orphan nuclear receptor γT expression in CD4+ T cells, thereby polarizing to Th17 cells, a T cell subset critical for osteoclastogenesis and associated with bone destruction. CONCLUSION This study suggests that Tbet+CD11c+ MBCs contribute to the pathogenesis of RA by promoting bone destruction through antigen presentation, T cell activation, and Th17 polarization.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah McGrath
- Institute of Medicine, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Kristoffer Grimstad
- Institute of Medicine, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden, and School of Bioscience, University of Skövde, Skövde, Sweden
| | - Katrin Thorarinsdottir
- Institute of Medicine, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Kristina Forslind
- Lund University, Lund, Sweden, and Spenshult Research and Development Centre, Halmstad, Sweden
| | | | - Monica Leu Agelii
- Institute of Medicine, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Alaitz Aranburu
- Institute of Medicine, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Timothy Sundell
- Institute of Medicine, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Charlotte A Jonsson
- Institute of Medicine, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Alessandro Camponeschi
- Institute of Medicine, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Anna-Karin Hultgård Ekwall
- Institute of Medicine, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden, and Sahlgrenska University Hospital, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | | | - Inger Gjertsson
- Institute of Medicine, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden, and Sahlgrenska University Hospital, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Inga-Lill Mårtensson
- Institute of Medicine, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
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6
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Pertsinidou E, Saevarsdottir S, Manivel VA, Klareskog L, Alfredsson L, Mathsson-Alm L, Hansson M, Cornillet M, Serre G, Holmdahl R, Skriner K, Jakobsson PJ, Westerlind H, Askling J, Rönnelid J. In early rheumatoid arthritis, anticitrullinated peptide antibodies associate with low number of affected joints and rheumatoid factor associates with systemic inflammation. Ann Rheum Dis 2024; 83:277-287. [PMID: 38049984 PMCID: PMC10894817 DOI: 10.1136/ard-2023-224728] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/24/2023] [Accepted: 10/31/2023] [Indexed: 12/06/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES To investigate how individual rheumatoid arthritis (RA) autoantibodies associate with individual signs and symptoms at the time of RA diagnosis. METHODS IgA, IgG, IgM rheumatoid factor (RF), antibodies against cyclic citrullinated peptide version 2 (anti-CCP2) and 16 individual antibodies against citrullinated protein (ACPA) reactivities were analysed centrally in baseline sera from 1600 patients with RA classified according to the 1987 American College of Rheumatology (ACR) criteria. These results were related to C-reactive protein (CRP), erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), number of swollen and tender joints (SJC and TJC), 28-joint disease activity scores (DAS28 and DAS28CRP), global disease activity evaluated by the patients and Health Assessment Questionnaire, all obtained at baseline. RESULTS Individually, all autoantibodies except immunoglobulin G (IgG) RF associated with low SJC and TJC and with high ESR. In IgM RF-negative patients, ACPA associated strictly with low number of swollen and tender joints. This association persisted in multiple regression and stratified analyses where IgM and IgA RF instead associated with inflammation expressed as ESR. Among subjects without any ACPA peptide reactivity, there was no association between RF isotypes and ESR. The effect of RF on ESR increased with the number of ACPA reactivities, especially for IgM RF. In patients fulfilling the 1987 ACR criteria without taking RF into account, associations between IgM RF and high ESR, as well as between ACPA and low joint counts, remained. CONCLUSION Whereas ACPA associate with low counts of affected joints in early RA, RF associates with elevated measures of systemic inflammation in an ACPA-dependent manner. This latter finding corroborates in vitro models of ACPA and RF in immune complex-induced inflammation. These phenotypic associations are independent of classification criteria.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eleftheria Pertsinidou
- Department of Immunology Genetics and Pathology, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
- ImmunoDiagnostics Division, Thermo Fisher Scientific, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Saedis Saevarsdottir
- Clinical Epidemiology Division, Department of Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, Solna, Stockholm, Sweden
- Faculty of Medicine, School of Health Sciences, University of Iceland, Reykjavik, Iceland
| | - Vivek Anand Manivel
- Department of Immunology Genetics and Pathology, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Lars Klareskog
- Rheumatology Unit, Department of Medicine, Karolinska Institute, Solna, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Lars Alfredsson
- Institute of Environmental Medicine, Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden
- Center for Occupational and Environmental Medicine, Region Stockholm, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Linda Mathsson-Alm
- Department of Immunology Genetics and Pathology, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
- ImmunoDiagnostics Division, Thermo Fisher Scientific, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Monika Hansson
- Rheumatology Unit, Department of Medicine, Karolinska Institute, Solna, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Martin Cornillet
- Institut Toulousain des Maladies Infectieuses et Inflammatoires, UMR1291 Inserm, 5051 CNRS, Université de Toulouse 3, Toulouse, France
| | - Guy Serre
- Institut Toulousain des Maladies Infectieuses et Inflammatoires, UMR1291 Inserm, 5051 CNRS, Université de Toulouse 3, Toulouse, France
| | - Rikard Holmdahl
- Department of Medical Inflammation Research, Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Karl Skriner
- Department of Medicine, Charité University Hospital, Berlin, Germany
| | - Per-Johan Jakobsson
- Rheumatology Unit, Department of Medicine, Karolinska Institute, Solna, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Helga Westerlind
- Clinical Epidemiology Division, Department of Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, Solna, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Johan Askling
- Clinical Epidemiology Division, Department of Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, Solna, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Johan Rönnelid
- Department of Immunology Genetics and Pathology, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
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7
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Demoruelle MK. The Changing Paradigm of Anti-Citrullinated Protein Antibodies in Rheumatoid Arthritis. Arthritis Rheumatol 2024; 76:178-180. [PMID: 37651271 DOI: 10.1002/art.42686] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/13/2023] [Accepted: 08/17/2023] [Indexed: 09/02/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- M Kristen Demoruelle
- University of Colorado School of Medicine, Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, Colorado
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8
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Klareskog L. Rheumatology tolerance for cure (RTCure) - an IMI project aimed at prevention and cure of RA. Semin Arthritis Rheum 2024; 64S:152322. [PMID: 38007362 DOI: 10.1016/j.semarthrit.2023.152322] [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: 08/22/2023] [Accepted: 09/23/2023] [Indexed: 11/27/2023]
Abstract
The RT Cure project, supported from the Innovative Medicines Initiative (IMI) has been active for 6 years and involved several European and one Australian rheumatology institutions, six major pharma companies and a few small companies. The present report describes the major aims and results of the project which include new understanding of specificity and regulation a of adaptive immunity that precedes RA and is active in established disease. use this understanding to predict risk for RA and establish registers of at risk for RA cohorts. support for clinical trials aimed at prevention of RA with knowledge and tools for immune surveillance. The progress in these areas, including the support to successful clinical trials for prevention will provide a basis for further development of prevention of RA using increasingly specific immunotherapies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lars Klareskog
- Department of Medicine, Rheumatology Division, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm Sweden.
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9
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Gomez AM, Brewer RC, Moon JS, Acharya S, Kongpachith S, Wang Q, Jahanbani S, Wong HH, Lanz TV, Love ZZ, Min-Oo G, Niedziela-Majka A, Robinson WH. Anti-Citrullinated Protein Antibodies With Multiple Specificities Ameliorate Collagen Antibody-Induced Arthritis in a Time-Dependent Manner. Arthritis Rheumatol 2024; 76:181-191. [PMID: 37610274 DOI: 10.1002/art.42679] [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: 03/20/2023] [Revised: 06/23/2023] [Accepted: 08/17/2023] [Indexed: 08/24/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Anti-citrullinated protein antibodies (ACPAs) are highly specific for rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and have long been regarded as pathogenic. Despite substantial in vitro evidence supporting this claim, reports investigating the proinflammatory effects of ACPAs in animal models of arthritis are rare and include mixed results. Here, we sequenced the plasmablast antibody repertoire of a patient with RA and functionally characterized the encoded ACPAs. METHODS We expressed ACPAs from the antibody repertoire of a patient with RA and characterized their autoantigen specificities on antigen arrays and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays. Binding affinities were estimated by bio-layer interferometry. Select ACPAs (n = 9) were tested in the collagen antibody-induced arthritis (CAIA) mouse model to evaluate their effects on joint inflammation. RESULTS Recombinant ACPAs bound preferentially and with high affinity (nanomolar range) to citrullinated (cit) autoantigens (primarily histones and fibrinogen) and to auto-cit peptidylarginine deiminase 4 (PAD4). ACPAs were grouped for in vivo testing based on their predominant cit-antigen specificities. Unexpectedly, injections of recombinant ACPAs significantly reduced paw thickness and arthritis severity in CAIA mice as compared with isotype-matched control antibodies (P ≤ 0.001). Bone erosion, synovitis, and cartilage damage were also significantly reduced (P ≤ 0.01). This amelioration of CAIA was observed for all the ACPAs tested and was independent of cit-PAD4 and cit-fibrinogen specificities. Furthermore, disease amelioration was more prominent when ACPAs were injected at earlier stages of CAIA than at later phases of the model. CONCLUSION Recombinant patient-derived ACPAs ameliorated CAIA. Their antiinflammatory effects were more preventive than therapeutic. This study highlights a potential protective role for ACPAs in arthritis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alejandro M Gomez
- Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, and VA Palo Alto Health Care System, Palo Alto, California
| | - R Camille Brewer
- Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, and VA Palo Alto Health Care System, Palo Alto, California
| | - Jae-Seung Moon
- Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, and VA Palo Alto Health Care System, Palo Alto, California
| | - Suman Acharya
- Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, and VA Palo Alto Health Care System, Palo Alto, California
| | - Sarah Kongpachith
- Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, and VA Palo Alto Health Care System, Palo Alto, California
| | - Qian Wang
- Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, and VA Palo Alto Health Care System, Palo Alto, California
| | - Shaghayegh Jahanbani
- Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, and VA Palo Alto Health Care System, Palo Alto, California
| | - Heidi H Wong
- Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, and VA Palo Alto Health Care System, Palo Alto, California
| | - Tobias V Lanz
- Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, and VA Palo Alto Health Care System, Palo Alto, California
| | - Zelda Z Love
- Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, and VA Palo Alto Health Care System, Palo Alto, California
| | | | | | - William H Robinson
- Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, and VA Palo Alto Health Care System, Palo Alto, California
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10
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van Steenbergen HW, Cope AP, van der Helm-van Mil AHM. Rheumatoid arthritis prevention in arthralgia: fantasy or reality? Nat Rev Rheumatol 2023; 19:767-777. [PMID: 37814057 DOI: 10.1038/s41584-023-01035-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 09/08/2023] [Indexed: 10/11/2023]
Abstract
The concept of a 'window of opportunity' in treating a disease assumes the existence of a time frame during which the trajectory of the disease can be effectively and permanently modified. In rheumatoid arthritis (RA), optimal timing of this period is presumed to be during the phase before arthritis is clinically apparent and disease is diagnosed. Several proof-of-concept trials of treatment during the 'arthralgia' phase of RA have been completed in the past 4 years, with the underlying notion that temporary treatment at this stage could prevent the development of RA or induce a sustained reduction in the burden of disease. This Review summarizes the results of these trials and reflects on the outcomes in relation to the patients' perspectives. Overall, the majority of symptomatic at-risk individuals could benefit from a fixed period treatment, even if RA does not develop. Various factors must be taken into consideration when translating these findings into clinical practice. More evidence is needed to target the individuals at highest risk, and additional tools are needed to monitor treatment and guide decisions about whether treatment can be discontinued. Without these tools, there is a paradoxical risk of seemingly increasing the incidence of the disease and prolonging disease duration, which is the opposite of what the concept of intervening in the window of opportunity entails.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Andrew P Cope
- Centre for Rheumatic Diseases, Department of Inflammation Biology, Faculty of Life Sciences and Medicine, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Annette H M van der Helm-van Mil
- Department of Rheumatology, Leiden University Medical Centre, Leiden, the Netherlands.
- Department of Rheumatology, Erasmus Medical Centre, Rotterdam, the Netherlands.
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11
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Raposo B, Grönwall C. The diversity of anti-citrulline reactivity and ACPA-associated phenotypes. Joint Bone Spine 2023; 90:105617. [PMID: 37482175 DOI: 10.1016/j.jbspin.2023.105617] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/07/2023] [Revised: 07/10/2023] [Accepted: 07/12/2023] [Indexed: 07/25/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Bruno Raposo
- Department of Medicine, Division of Rheumatology, Karolinska Institutet, Center for Molecular Medicine, Karolinska University Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden.
| | - Caroline Grönwall
- Department of Medicine, Division of Rheumatology, Karolinska Institutet, Center for Molecular Medicine, Karolinska University Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden
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12
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Krishnamurthy A, Engström M, Hensvold A, Réthi B. Reply. Arthritis Rheumatol 2023; 75:2063-2064. [PMID: 37134178 DOI: 10.1002/art.42552] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/26/2023] [Accepted: 04/27/2023] [Indexed: 05/05/2023]
Affiliation(s)
| | - Marianne Engström
- Karolinska Institutet and Karolinska University Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Aase Hensvold
- Karolinska Institutet and Karolinska University Hospital, Stockholm Health Services, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Bence Réthi
- Karolinska Institutet and Karolinska University Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden
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13
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Pisetsky DS. Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases collection on autoantibodies in the rheumatic diseases: new insights into pathogenesis and the development of novel biomarkers. Ann Rheum Dis 2023; 82:1243-1247. [PMID: 37580110 PMCID: PMC11149592 DOI: 10.1136/ard-2023-224692] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/07/2023] [Accepted: 08/02/2023] [Indexed: 08/16/2023]
Abstract
The rheumatic diseases are a diverse group of conditions that can display autoantibody production, functional immune disturbances and systemic disease manifestations. These autoantibodies can serve as markers for classification, diagnosis, prognosis and disease activity. Among specificities prominently expressed by patients, those directed to nuclear antigens (antinuclear antibodies or ANAs) are markers for specific rheumatic diseases. ANAs can bind to DNA, RNA and complexes of proteins with nucleic acids. Other autoantibodies expressed in the rheumatic diseases are directed to proteins, including IgG, post-translational modifications of proteins and soluble mediators such as cytokines. While autoantibodies have been investigated for over 50 years, recent studies published in the Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases (ARD) have provided an exciting perspective on the mechanisms of autoantibody production and the power of new technologies to identify novel autoantibody targets to elucidate aetiology and underpin patient evaluation. Furthermore, in-depth serological studies have demonstrated a phenomenon known as clustering; clustering defines sets of autoantibodies that are commonly expressed together in patients with a given rheumatic disease. Other research reported in ARD has used B cell phenotyping and genotypic analysis to subtype patients, and has explored the relationship of autoantibodies, complement activation and patterns of gene expression as exemplified by the interferon gene signature. Together, these studies provide important new insights into disease mechanisms as well as actionable information to facilitate personalised patient care.
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14
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Jurczak A, Sandor K, Bersellini Farinotti A, Krock E, Hunt MA, Agalave NM, Barbier J, Simon N, Wang Z, Rudjito R, Vazquez-Mora JA, Martinez-Martinez A, Raoof R, Eijkelkamp N, Grönwall C, Klareskog L, Jimenéz-Andrade JM, Marchand F, Svensson CI. Insights into FcγR involvement in pain-like behavior induced by an RA-derived anti-modified protein autoantibody. Brain Behav Immun 2023; 113:212-227. [PMID: 37437817 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbi.2023.07.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/21/2023] [Revised: 04/21/2023] [Accepted: 07/05/2023] [Indexed: 07/14/2023] Open
Abstract
Joint pain is one of the most debilitating symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and patients frequently rate improvements in pain management as their priority. RA is hallmarked by the presence of anti-modified protein autoantibodies (AMPA) against post-translationally modified citrullinated, carbamylated and acetylated proteins. It has been suggested that autoantibody-mediated processes represent distinct mechanisms contributing to pain in RA. In this study, we investigated the pronociceptive properties of monoclonal AMPA 1325:01B09 (B09 mAb) derived from the plasma cell of an RA patient. We found that B09 mAb induces pain-like behavior in mice that is not associated with any visual, histological or transcriptional signs of inflammation in the joints, and not alleviated by non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). Instead, we found that B09 mAb is retained in dorsal root ganglia (DRG) and alters the expression of several satellite glia cell (SGC), neuron and macrophage-related factors in DRGs. Using mice that lack activating FcγRs, we uncovered that FcγRs are critical for the development of B09-induced pain-like behavior, and partially drive the transcriptional changes in the DRGs. Finally, we observed that B09 mAb binds SGC in vitro and in combination with external stimuli like ATP enhances transcriptional changes and protein release of pronociceptive factors from SGCs. We propose that certain RA antibodies bind epitopes in the DRG, here on SGCs, form immune complexes and activate resident macrophages via FcγR cross-linking. Our work supports the growing notion that autoantibodies can alter nociceptor signaling via mechanisms that are at large independent of local inflammatory processes in the joint.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexandra Jurczak
- Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Center for Molecular Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, Solnavägen 9, 171 65, Sweden
| | - Katalin Sandor
- Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Center for Molecular Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, Solnavägen 9, 171 65, Sweden
| | - Alex Bersellini Farinotti
- Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Center for Molecular Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, Solnavägen 9, 171 65, Sweden
| | - Emerson Krock
- The Alan Edwards Centre for Research on Pain, Faculty of Dental Medicine and Oral Health Sciences, McGill University, Montreal, Canada
| | - Matthew A Hunt
- Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Center for Molecular Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, Solnavägen 9, 171 65, Sweden
| | - Nilesh M Agalave
- Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Center for Molecular Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, Solnavägen 9, 171 65, Sweden
| | - Julie Barbier
- Université Clermont Auvergne, Inserm U1107 Neuro-Dol, Pharmacologie Fondamentale et Clinique de la Douleur, Clermont-Ferrand 38-63001, France
| | - Nils Simon
- Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Center for Molecular Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, Solnavägen 9, 171 65, Sweden
| | - Zhenggang Wang
- Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Center for Molecular Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, Solnavägen 9, 171 65, Sweden
| | - Resti Rudjito
- Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Center for Molecular Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, Solnavägen 9, 171 65, Sweden
| | - Juan Antonio Vazquez-Mora
- Unidad Academica Multidisciplinaria Reynosa Aztlan, Universidad Autonoma de Tamaulipas, Reynosa, Tamaulipas, Mexico
| | - Arisai Martinez-Martinez
- Unidad Academica Multidisciplinaria Reynosa Aztlan, Universidad Autonoma de Tamaulipas, Reynosa, Tamaulipas, Mexico
| | - Ramin Raoof
- Center for Translational Immunology, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Niels Eijkelkamp
- Center for Translational Immunology, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Caroline Grönwall
- Department of Medicine, Division of Rheumatology, Center for Molecular Medicine, Karolinska Institute, Karolinska University Hospital, Stockholm 171 76, Sweden
| | - Lars Klareskog
- Department of Medicine, Division of Rheumatology, Center for Molecular Medicine, Karolinska Institute, Karolinska University Hospital, Stockholm 171 76, Sweden
| | - Juan Miguel Jimenéz-Andrade
- Unidad Academica Multidisciplinaria Reynosa Aztlan, Universidad Autonoma de Tamaulipas, Reynosa, Tamaulipas, Mexico
| | - Fabien Marchand
- Université Clermont Auvergne, Inserm U1107 Neuro-Dol, Pharmacologie Fondamentale et Clinique de la Douleur, Clermont-Ferrand 38-63001, France
| | - Camilla I Svensson
- Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Center for Molecular Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, Solnavägen 9, 171 65, Sweden.
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15
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Klareskog L, Alfredsson L. Prevention vs treatment of rheumatoid arthritis. IMMUNOTHERAPY ADVANCES 2023; 3:ltad016. [PMID: 37662832 PMCID: PMC10473452 DOI: 10.1093/immadv/ltad016] [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: 04/10/2023] [Accepted: 08/27/2023] [Indexed: 09/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Whether a yet chronic and not curable disease like rheumatoid arthritis (RA) can be subject to prevention or whether available resources should be focused on treatment is a classical dilemma. Similar to the case in most other chronic diseases, the focus in research as well as in clinical practice has been on the treatment of established diseases, resulting in drugs that are efficient in eliminating most joint damage but not able to cure the disease or stop needs for continuous treatment of the disease. Less effort has been spent on identifying and implementing ways to prevent the disease. We argue in this review that knowledge concerning the longitudinal evolvement of the major, 'seropositive' subset of RA has now come to a stage where prevention should be a large part of the research agenda and that we should prepare for prevention as part of clinical practice in RA. We describe briefly the knowledge basis for broad public health-based prevention as well as for a 'precision prevention' strategy. In the latter, individuals at high risk for RA will be identified, monitored, and ultimately provided with advice on how to change lifestyle/environment or be given treatment with drugs able to delay and ultimately stop the development of RA. Whether this potential of precision prevention for RA will change the broader clinical practice will depend on whether specific and long-lasting interference with disease-inducing immunity, ultimately 'tolerance therapy', will become a reality.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lars Klareskog
- Rheumatology Division, Department of Medicine, Solna, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Lars Alfredsson
- Institute of Environmental Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
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16
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van der Linden M, Kumari S, Montizaan D, van Dalen S, Kip A, Foster M, Reinieren-Beeren I, Neubert E, Erpenbeck L, Waaijenberg K, Bruurmijn T, Te Poele R, van Zandvoort P, Vink P, Meldrum E, van Es H, Chirivi RGS. Anti-citrullinated histone monoclonal antibody CIT-013, a dual action therapeutic for neutrophil extracellular trap-associated autoimmune diseases. MAbs 2023; 15:2281763. [PMID: 38031350 DOI: 10.1080/19420862.2023.2281763] [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: 01/13/2023] [Accepted: 11/06/2023] [Indexed: 12/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs) contribute to the pathophysiology of multiple inflammatory and autoimmune diseases. Targeting the NETosis pathway has demonstrated significant therapeutic potency in various disease models. Here, we describe a first-in-class monoclonal antibody (CIT-013) with high affinity for citrullinated histones H2A and H4, which inhibits NETosis and reduces tissue NET burden in vivo with significant anti-inflammatory consequences. We provide a detailed understanding of the epitope selectivity of CIT-013. Detection of CIT-013 epitopes in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) synovium provides evidence that RA is an autoimmune disease with excessive citrullinated NETs that can be targeted by CIT-013. We show that CIT-013 acts upon the final stage of NETosis, binding to its chromatin epitopes when plasma membrane integrity is compromised to prevent NET release. Bivalency of CIT-013 is necessary for NETosis inhibition. In addition, we show that CIT-013 binding to NETs and netting neutrophils enhance their phagocytosis by macrophages in an Fc-dependent manner. This is confirmed using a murine neutrophilic airway inflammation model where a mouse variant of CIT-013 reduced tissue NET burden with significant anti-inflammatory consequences. CIT-013's therapeutic activity provides new insights for the development of NET antagonists and indicates the importance of a new emerging therapy for NET-driven diseases with unmet therapeutic needs.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | - Annemarie Kip
- Research and Development, Citryll B.V, Oss, The Netherlands
| | - Martyn Foster
- Pathology, Experimental Pathology Consultancy, Benfleet, Essex, UK
| | | | - Elsa Neubert
- Department of Dermatology, Venereology and Allergology, University Medical Center, Göttingen University, Göttingen, Germany
- Division of Drug Discovery and Safety, Leiden Academic Centre for Drug Research, Leiden University, Leiden, Netherlands
| | - Luise Erpenbeck
- Department of Dermatology, Venereology and Allergology, University Medical Center, Göttingen University, Göttingen, Germany
- Department of General Dermatology and Venereology, Clinic of Skin Diseases, University Medical Center Münster, Münster, Germany
| | | | | | - Rezie Te Poele
- Research and Development, Citryll B.V, Oss, The Netherlands
| | | | - Paul Vink
- Research and Development, Citryll B.V, Oss, The Netherlands
| | - Eric Meldrum
- Research and Development, Citryll B.V, Oss, The Netherlands
| | - Helmuth van Es
- Research and Development, Citryll B.V, Oss, The Netherlands
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