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Patel JR, Joel MZ, Lee KK, Kambala A, Cornman H, Oladipo O, Taylor M, Imo BU, Ma EZ, Manjunath J, Kollhoff AL, Deng J, Parthasarathy V, Cravero K, Marani M, Szeto M, Zhao R, Sankararaman S, Li R, Henry S, Pritchard T, Rebecca V, Kwatra MM, Ho WJ, Dong X, Kang S, Kwatra SG. Single-Cell RNA Sequencing Reveals Dysregulated POSTN+WNT5A+ Fibroblast Subclusters in Prurigo Nodularis. J Invest Dermatol 2024; 144:1568-1578.e5. [PMID: 38246584 DOI: 10.1016/j.jid.2023.12.021] [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: 10/09/2023] [Revised: 12/17/2023] [Accepted: 12/27/2023] [Indexed: 01/23/2024]
Abstract
Prurigo nodularis (PN) is an intensely pruritic, inflammatory skin disease with a poorly understood pathogenesis. We performed single-cell transcriptomic profiling of 28,695 lesional and nonlesional PN cells. Lesional PN has increased dysregulated fibroblasts (FBs) and myofibroblasts. FBs in lesional PN were shifted toward a cancer-associated FB-like phenotype, with POSTN+WNT5A+ cancer-associated FBs increased in PN and similarly so in squamous cell carcinoma. A multicenter cohort study revealed an increased risk of squamous cell carcinoma and cancer-associated FB-associated malignancies (breast and colorectal) in patients with PN. Systemic fibroproliferative diseases (renal sclerosis and idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis) were upregulated in patients with PN. Ligand-receptor analyses demonstrated an FB neuronal axis with FB-derived WNT5A and periostin interactions with neuronal receptors melanoma cell adhesion molecule and ITGAV. These findings identify a pathogenic and targetable POSTN+WNT5A+ FB subpopulation that may predispose cancer-associated FB-associated malignancies in patients with PN.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jay R Patel
- Department of Dermatology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Marina Z Joel
- Department of Dermatology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Kevin K Lee
- Department of Dermatology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Anusha Kambala
- Department of Dermatology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Hannah Cornman
- Department of Dermatology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Olusola Oladipo
- Department of Dermatology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Matthew Taylor
- Department of Dermatology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Brenda Umenita Imo
- Department of Dermatology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Emily Z Ma
- Department of Dermatology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Jaya Manjunath
- Department of Dermatology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Alexander L Kollhoff
- Department of Dermatology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - June Deng
- Department of Dermatology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Varsha Parthasarathy
- Department of Dermatology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Karen Cravero
- Department of Dermatology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Melika Marani
- Department of Dermatology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Mindy Szeto
- Department of Dermatology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Ryan Zhao
- Department of Dermatology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Sreenidhi Sankararaman
- Department of Dermatology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Ruixiang Li
- Department of Dermatology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Shanae Henry
- Department of Dermatology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Thomas Pritchard
- Department of Dermatology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Vito Rebecca
- Bloomberg School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Madan M Kwatra
- Department of Anesthesiology, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, North Carolina, USA; Department of Pharmacology & Cancer Biology, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, North Carolina, USA
| | - Won Jin Ho
- The Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Bloomberg-Kimmel Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Xinzhong Dong
- The Solomon H. Snyder Department of Neuroscience, Center for Sensory Biology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Sewon Kang
- Department of Dermatology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Shawn G Kwatra
- Department of Dermatology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Department of Oncology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA.
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Nishide M, Shimagami H, Kumanogoh A. Single-cell analysis in rheumatic and allergic diseases: insights for clinical practice. Nat Rev Immunol 2024:10.1038/s41577-024-01043-3. [PMID: 38914790 DOI: 10.1038/s41577-024-01043-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 05/08/2024] [Indexed: 06/26/2024]
Abstract
Since the advent of single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) methodology, single-cell analysis has become a powerful tool for exploration of cellular networks and dysregulated immune responses in disease pathogenesis. Advanced bioinformatics tools have enabled the combined analysis of scRNA-seq data and information on various cell properties, such as cell surface molecular profiles, chromatin accessibility and spatial information, leading to a deeper understanding of pathology. This Review provides an overview of the achievements in single-cell analysis applied to clinical samples of rheumatic and allergic diseases, including rheumatoid arthritis, systemic lupus erythematosus, systemic sclerosis, allergic airway diseases and atopic dermatitis, with an expanded scope beyond peripheral blood cells to include local diseased tissues. Despite the valuable insights that single-cell analysis has provided into disease pathogenesis, challenges remain in translating single-cell findings into clinical practice and developing personalized treatment strategies. Beyond understanding the atlas of cellular diversity, we discuss the application of data obtained in each study to clinical practice, with a focus on identifying biomarkers and therapeutic targets.
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Affiliation(s)
- Masayuki Nishide
- Department of Respiratory Medicine and Clinical Immunology, Graduate School of Medicine, Osaka University, Suita, Osaka, Japan.
- Department of Immunopathology, World Premier International Research Center Initiative (WPI), Immunology Frontier Research Center (IFReC), Osaka University, Suita, Osaka, Japan.
- Department of Advanced Clinical and Translational Immunology, Graduate School of Medicine, Osaka University, Suita, Osaka, Japan.
| | - Hiroshi Shimagami
- Department of Respiratory Medicine and Clinical Immunology, Graduate School of Medicine, Osaka University, Suita, Osaka, Japan
- Department of Immunopathology, World Premier International Research Center Initiative (WPI), Immunology Frontier Research Center (IFReC), Osaka University, Suita, Osaka, Japan
- Department of Advanced Clinical and Translational Immunology, Graduate School of Medicine, Osaka University, Suita, Osaka, Japan
| | - Atsushi Kumanogoh
- Department of Respiratory Medicine and Clinical Immunology, Graduate School of Medicine, Osaka University, Suita, Osaka, Japan.
- Department of Immunopathology, World Premier International Research Center Initiative (WPI), Immunology Frontier Research Center (IFReC), Osaka University, Suita, Osaka, Japan.
- Integrated Frontier Research for Medical Science Division, Institute for Open and Transdisciplinary Research Initiatives (OTRI), Osaka University, Suita, Osaka, Japan.
- Center for Infectious Diseases for Education and Research (CiDER), Osaka University, Suita, Osaka, Japan.
- Center for Advanced Modalities and DDS (CAMaD), Osaka University, Suita, Osaka, Japan.
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Romano E, Rosa I, Fioretto BS, Manetti M. Recent Insights into Cellular and Molecular Mechanisms of Defective Angiogenesis in Systemic Sclerosis. Biomedicines 2024; 12:1331. [PMID: 38927538 PMCID: PMC11201654 DOI: 10.3390/biomedicines12061331] [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: 05/08/2024] [Revised: 06/10/2024] [Accepted: 06/13/2024] [Indexed: 06/28/2024] Open
Abstract
In systemic sclerosis (SSc, or scleroderma), defective angiogenesis, clinically manifesting with abnormal capillary architecture and severe capillary reduction, represents a hallmark of early-stage disease, usually preceding the onset of tissue fibrosis, and is caused by several cellular and molecular mechanisms affecting microvascular endothelial cells with different outcomes. Indeed, once damaged, endothelial cells can be dysfunctionally activated, thus becoming unable to undergo angiogenesis and promoting perivascular inflammation. They can also undergo apoptosis, transdifferentiate into profibrotic myofibroblasts, or acquire a senescence-associated secretory phenotype characterized by the release of exosomes and several profibrotic and proinflammatory mediators. In this narrative review, we aimed to give a comprehensive overview of recent studies dealing with the cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying SSc defective angiogenesis and the related endothelial cell dysfunctions, mainly the endothelial-to-mesenchymal transition process. We also discussed potential novel vascular treatment strategies able to restore the angiogenic process and reduce the endothelial-to-mesenchymal transition in this complex disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eloisa Romano
- Section of Internal Medicine, Department of Experimental and Clinical Medicine, University of Florence, Largo Brambilla 3, 50134 Florence, Italy;
| | - Irene Rosa
- Section of Anatomy and Histology, Department of Experimental and Clinical Medicine, University of Florence, Largo Brambilla 3, 50134 Florence, Italy; (I.R.); (B.S.F.)
| | - Bianca Saveria Fioretto
- Section of Anatomy and Histology, Department of Experimental and Clinical Medicine, University of Florence, Largo Brambilla 3, 50134 Florence, Italy; (I.R.); (B.S.F.)
| | - Mirko Manetti
- Section of Anatomy and Histology, Department of Experimental and Clinical Medicine, University of Florence, Largo Brambilla 3, 50134 Florence, Italy; (I.R.); (B.S.F.)
- Imaging Platform, Department of Experimental and Clinical Medicine, University of Florence, Largo Brambilla 3, 50134 Florence, Italy
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Sol S, Boncimino F, Todorova K, Mandinova A. Unraveling the Functional Heterogeneity of Human Skin at Single-Cell Resolution. Hematol Oncol Clin North Am 2024:S0889-8588(24)00050-9. [PMID: 38839486 DOI: 10.1016/j.hoc.2024.05.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/07/2024]
Abstract
The skin consists of several cell populations, including epithelial, immune, and stromal cells. Recently, there has been a significant increase in single-cell RNA-sequencing studies, contributing to the development of a consensus Human Skin Cell Atlas. The aim is to understand skin biology better and identify potential therapeutic targets. The present review utilized previously published single-cell RNA-sequencing datasets to explore human skin's cellular and functional heterogeneity. Additionally, it summarizes the functional significance of newly identified cell subpopulations in processes such as wound healing and aging.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stefano Sol
- Cutaneous Biology Research Center, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Charlestown, MA 02129, USA
| | - Fabiana Boncimino
- Cutaneous Biology Research Center, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Charlestown, MA 02129, USA
| | - Kristina Todorova
- Cutaneous Biology Research Center, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Charlestown, MA 02129, USA
| | - Anna Mandinova
- Cutaneous Biology Research Center, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Charlestown, MA 02129, USA; Broad Institute of Harvard and MIT, 7 Cambridge Center, MA 02142, USA; Harvard Stem Cell Institute, 7 Divinity Avenue Cambridge, MA 02138, USA.
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Fukasawa T, Yoshizaki-Ogawa A, Enomoto A, Yamashita T, Miyagawa K, Sato S, Yoshizaki A. Single cell analysis in systemic sclerosis - A systematic review. Immunol Med 2024:1-12. [PMID: 38818750 DOI: 10.1080/25785826.2024.2360690] [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: 12/08/2023] [Accepted: 05/17/2024] [Indexed: 06/01/2024] Open
Abstract
In recent years, rapid advances in research methods have made single cell analysis possible. Systemic sclerosis (SSc), a disease characterized by the triad of immune abnormalities, fibrosis, and vasculopathy, has also been the subject of various analyses. To summarize the results of single cell analysis in SSc accumulated to date and to deepen our understanding of SSc. Four databases were used to perform a database search on 23rd June 2023. Assessed Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation certainty of evidence were performed according to PRISMA guidelines. The analysis was completed on July 2023. 17 studies with 358 SSc patients were included. Three studies used PBMCs, six used skin, nine used lung with SSc-interstitial lung diseases (ILDs), and one used lung with SSc-pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH). The cells studied included immune cells such as T cells, natural killer cells, monocytes, macrophages, and dendritic cells, as well as endothelial cells, fibroblasts, keratinocytes, alveolar type I cells, basal epithelial cells, smooth muscle cells, mesothelial cells, etc. This systematic review revealed the results of single cell analysis, suggesting that PBMCs, skin, SSc-ILD, and SSc-PAH show activation and dysfunction of cells associated with immune-abnormalities, fibrosis, and vasculopathy, respectively.
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Affiliation(s)
- Takemichi Fukasawa
- Department of Dermatology, Systemic sclerosis center, The University of Tokyo Graduate School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan
- Department of Clinical Cannabinoid Research, The University of Tokyo Graduate School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Asako Yoshizaki-Ogawa
- Department of Dermatology, Systemic sclerosis center, The University of Tokyo Graduate School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Atsushi Enomoto
- Laboratory of Molecular Radiology, Center for Disease Biology and Integrative Medicine, The University of Tokyo Graduate School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Takashi Yamashita
- Department of Dermatology, Systemic sclerosis center, The University of Tokyo Graduate School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Kiyoshi Miyagawa
- Laboratory of Molecular Radiology, Center for Disease Biology and Integrative Medicine, The University of Tokyo Graduate School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Shinichi Sato
- Department of Dermatology, Systemic sclerosis center, The University of Tokyo Graduate School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Ayumi Yoshizaki
- Department of Dermatology, Systemic sclerosis center, The University of Tokyo Graduate School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan
- Department of Clinical Cannabinoid Research, The University of Tokyo Graduate School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan
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Huang M, Tabib T, Khanna D, Assassi S, Domsic R, Lafyatis R. Single-cell transcriptomes and chromatin accessibility of endothelial cells unravel transcription factors associated with dysregulated angiogenesis in systemic sclerosis. Ann Rheum Dis 2024:ard-2023-225415. [PMID: 38754983 DOI: 10.1136/ard-2023-225415] [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: 12/15/2023] [Accepted: 04/26/2024] [Indexed: 05/18/2024]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES Vasculopathy emerges early in systemic sclerosis (SSc) and links to endothelial cell (EC) injury and angiogenesis. Understanding EC transcriptomes and epigenomes is crucial for unravelling the mechanisms involved. METHODS Transcriptomes and chromatin accessibility were assessed by single-cell RNA sequencing and single-nucleus transposase-accessible chromatin sequencing. Immunofluorescent staining of skin and proteomics assay were employed to confirm the altered SSc EC phenotypes. Gain-of-function assay was used to evaluate the effects of ETS transcription factors on human dermal ECs (hDECs). RESULTS Both control and SSc ECs shared transcriptomic signatures of vascular linages (arterial, capillary and venous ECs) and lymphatic ECs. Arterial ECs in SSc showed reduced number and increased expression of genes associated with apoptosis. Two distinct EC subpopulations, tip and proliferating ECs, were markedly upregulated in SSc, indicating enhanced proangiogenic and proliferative activities. Molecular features of aberrant SSc-ECs were associated with disease pathogenesis and clinical traits of SSc, such as skin fibrosis and digital ulcers. Ligand-receptor analysis demonstrated altered intercellular networks of SSc EC subpopulations with perivascular and immune cells. Furthermore, the integration of open chromatin profiles with transcriptomic analysis suggested an increased accessibility of regulatory elements for ETS family transcription factors in SSc ECs. Overexpression of ETS genes in hDECs suggested ELK4, ERF and ETS1 may orchestrate arterial apoptosis and dysregulated angiogenesis in SSc. CONCLUSIONS This study unveils transcriptional and chromatin alterations in driving endovascular dysregulation in SSc, proposing ELK4, ERF and ETS1 as novel targets in ECs for addressing vascular complications in the condition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mengqi Huang
- Division of Rheumatology and Clinical Immunology, Department of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Tracy Tabib
- Division of Rheumatology and Clinical Immunology, Department of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Dinesh Khanna
- Division of Rheumatology, Department of Internal Medicine, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA
| | - Shervin Assassi
- Division of Rheumatology, The University of Texas Health Science Center, Houston, Texas, USA
| | - Robyn Domsic
- Division of Rheumatology and Clinical Immunology, Department of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Robert Lafyatis
- Division of Rheumatology and Clinical Immunology, Department of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
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Zhu P, Deng W. Single-Cell RNA-Sequencing Analyses Identify APLNR, INS-IGF2, RGCC Genes May Be Involved in the Pathogenesis of Systemic Sclerosis Skin. Clin Cosmet Investig Dermatol 2024; 17:1059-1069. [PMID: 38742168 PMCID: PMC11090198 DOI: 10.2147/ccid.s456593] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/26/2024] [Accepted: 04/21/2024] [Indexed: 05/16/2024]
Abstract
Background Systemic sclerosis represents a persistent autoimmune disorder marked with fibrosis affecting both skin and other organs, which leads to a diminished quality of life and increased mortality. The affected skin provides a valuable opportunity to explore the pathogenesis of systemic sclerosis. Nevertheless, the roles of various cell populations within scleroderma remain intricate. Methods We conducted a comprehensive reanalysis of recently published single-cell RNA-sequencing data from skin tissue cells in scleroderma. Through the utilization of Seurat, irGSEA, AUCell packages, and WGCNA analysis, we aimed to unveil crucial genes associated with the disease's etiological factors. Our investigation involved the characterization of heterogeneous pathway activities in both healthy and SSc-affected skin. Furthermore, we employed immunofluorescence techniques to validate the expression patterns of hub genes and differentially expressed genes. Results The Endothelial-to-Mesenchymal Transition (EndMT) pathway was upregulated in SSc skin. Notably, the M4 module within Endothelial cell subpopulation 1 exhibited a strong association with EndMT. Furthermore, we identified three overexpressed genes (APLNR, INS-IGF2, RGCC) that demonstrated a significant correlation with EndMT. Importantly, their expression levels were markedly higher in skin of individuals with SSc when compared to healthy controls. Conclusion APLNR, INS-IGF2 and RGCC serve as potential key players in the pathogenesis of SSc skin through EndMT-dependent mechanisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peiqiu Zhu
- Department of Dermatology and Venereology, Beijing Jishuitan Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, People’s Republic of China
| | - Weiwei Deng
- Department of Dermatology, Dermatology Hospital of Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, People’s Republic of China
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Amin OAH, Mirza RR, Hussein HA, Khudhur ZO, Awla HK, Smail SW. Journey into the Esophageal Complications: Decoding Systemic Sclerosis with Cutting-Edge Endoscopy, Manometry, and Ambulatory pH-Study. Int J Gen Med 2024; 17:1823-1831. [PMID: 38711827 PMCID: PMC11073525 DOI: 10.2147/ijgm.s448421] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/09/2024] [Accepted: 04/18/2024] [Indexed: 05/08/2024] Open
Abstract
Purpose Systemic Sclerosis (SSc) is a rare connective tissue disorder characterized by autoimmunity, fibrosis, and vasculopathy that affects the skin and internal organs, including the gastrointestinal tract, particularly the esophagus. This article highlights the characteristics and clinical symptoms of esophageal involvement in patients with SSc. Patients and Methods This study was conducted between November 2022 to August 2023, including 26 already diagnosed cases of SSc in the Department of Rheumatology and Rehabilitation and Kurdistan Center for Gastroenterology and Hepatology-Sulaymaniyah, Iraq. Esophageal involvement was investigated using esophageal manometry, esophagogastroduodenoscopy (EGD), and 24-hour impedance-pH monitoring. Results Females were significantly predominant (P = 0.019) regarding the symptoms; 76.9% of the patients had heart burn, 76.9% dysphagia, 73.1% water brush, and 69.2% regurgitation. In total, 69.2% of the patients showed erosive gastrointestinal reflux disease (GERD) on EGD, 76.9% had decreased lower esophageal sphincter pressure (DLESP) and decreased distal esophageal peristaltic contractions (DDEPC) on esophageal manometry, and 84.6% had reflux on pH monitoring. Raynaud's phenomenon is the most common and typically the earliest clinical manifestation of SSc. The presence of erosive GERD was found to significantly increase the risk of developing dysphagia (B = 4.725, P = 0.014, OR = 3.482) and regurgitation (B = 3.521, P = 0.006, OR = 4.030). Conclusion It is crucial to take gender-specific considerations into account when diagnosing and managing esophageal complications in patients with systemic sclerosis (SSc). Additionally, employing various diagnostic assessments to detect esophageal involvement during SSc is essential. Erosive GERD has been identified as a risk factor that contributes to the development of dysphagia and regurgitation in individuals with SSc.
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Affiliation(s)
- Omer Ahmed Hamad Amin
- Department of Rheumatology, Ranya Teaching Hospital, Ministry of Health, Ranya, Kurdistan Region, Iraq
| | - Raouf Rahim Mirza
- College of Medicine, University of Sulaimani, Sulaimani, Kurdistan Region, Iraq
| | | | | | - Harem Khdir Awla
- Department of Biology, College of Science, Salahaddin University, Erbil, Kurdistan Region, Iraq
| | - Shukur Wasman Smail
- Department of Biology, College of Science, Salahaddin University, Erbil, Kurdistan Region, Iraq
- Department of Medical Microbiology, College of Science, Cihan University-Erbil, Kurdistan Region, Iraq
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Rahimikollu J, Xiao H, Rosengart A, Rosen ABI, Tabib T, Zdinak PM, He K, Bing X, Bunea F, Wegkamp M, Poholek AC, Joglekar AV, Lafyatis RA, Das J. SLIDE: Significant Latent Factor Interaction Discovery and Exploration across biological domains. Nat Methods 2024; 21:835-845. [PMID: 38374265 DOI: 10.1038/s41592-024-02175-z] [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: 11/23/2022] [Accepted: 01/09/2024] [Indexed: 02/21/2024]
Abstract
Modern multiomic technologies can generate deep multiscale profiles. However, differences in data modalities, multicollinearity of the data, and large numbers of irrelevant features make analyses and integration of high-dimensional omic datasets challenging. Here we present Significant Latent Factor Interaction Discovery and Exploration (SLIDE), a first-in-class interpretable machine learning technique for identifying significant interacting latent factors underlying outcomes of interest from high-dimensional omic datasets. SLIDE makes no assumptions regarding data-generating mechanisms, comes with theoretical guarantees regarding identifiability of the latent factors/corresponding inference, and has rigorous false discovery rate control. Using SLIDE on single-cell and spatial omic datasets, we uncovered significant interacting latent factors underlying a range of molecular, cellular and organismal phenotypes. SLIDE outperforms/performs at least as well as a wide range of state-of-the-art approaches, including other latent factor approaches. More importantly, it provides biological inference beyond prediction that other methods do not afford. Thus, SLIDE is a versatile engine for biological discovery from modern multiomic datasets.
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Affiliation(s)
- Javad Rahimikollu
- Center for Systems Immunology, Departments of Immunology and Computational & Systems Biology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
- Joint CMU-Pitt PhD Program in Computational Biology, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Hanxi Xiao
- Center for Systems Immunology, Departments of Immunology and Computational & Systems Biology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
- Joint CMU-Pitt PhD Program in Computational Biology, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - AnnaElaine Rosengart
- Center for Systems Immunology, Departments of Immunology and Computational & Systems Biology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Aaron B I Rosen
- Center for Systems Immunology, Departments of Immunology and Computational & Systems Biology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
- Joint CMU-Pitt PhD Program in Computational Biology, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Tracy Tabib
- Division of Rheumatology and Clinical Immunology, Department of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Paul M Zdinak
- Center for Systems Immunology, Departments of Immunology and Computational & Systems Biology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Kun He
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Xin Bing
- Department of Statistical Sciences, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Florentina Bunea
- Department of Statistics and Data Science, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA
| | - Marten Wegkamp
- Department of Statistics and Data Science, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA
- Department of Mathematics, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA
| | - Amanda C Poholek
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA.
| | - Alok V Joglekar
- Center for Systems Immunology, Departments of Immunology and Computational & Systems Biology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA.
| | - Robert A Lafyatis
- Division of Rheumatology and Clinical Immunology, Department of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA.
| | - Jishnu Das
- Center for Systems Immunology, Departments of Immunology and Computational & Systems Biology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA.
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Oh S, Yeo E, Shim J, Noh H, Park J, Lee KT, Kim SH, Lee D, Lee JH. Revealing the pathogenesis of keloids based on the status: Active vs inactive. Exp Dermatol 2024; 33:e15088. [PMID: 38685820 DOI: 10.1111/exd.15088] [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: 04/05/2024] [Accepted: 04/14/2024] [Indexed: 05/02/2024]
Abstract
Recently, the pathomechanisms of keloids have been extensively researched using transcriptomic analysis, but most studies did not consider the activity of keloids. We aimed to profile the transcriptomics of keloids according to their clinical activity and location within the keloid lesion, compared with normal and mature scars. Tissue samples were collected (keloid based on its activity (active and inactive), mature scar from keloid patients and normal scar (NS) from non-keloid patients). To reduce possible bias, all keloids assessed in this study had no treatment history and their location was limited to the upper chest or back. Multiomics assessment was performed by using single-cell RNA sequencing and multiplex immunofluorescence. Increased mesenchymal fibroblasts (FBs) was the main feature in keloid patients. Noticeably, the proportion of pro-inflammatory FBs was significantly increased in active keloids compared to inactive ones. To explore the nature of proinflammatory FBs, trajectory analysis was conducted and CCN family associated with mechanical stretch exhibited higher expression in active keloids. For vascular endothelial cells (VECs), the proportion of tip and immature cells increased in keloids compared to NS, especially at the periphery of active keloids. Also, keloid VECs highly expressed genes with characteristics of mesenchymal activation compared to NS, especially those from the active keloid center. Multiomics analysis demonstrated the distinct expression profile of active keloids. Clinically, these findings may provide the future appropriate directions for development of treatment modalities of keloids. Prevention of keloids could be possible by the suppression of mesenchymal activation between FBs and VECs and modulation of proinflammatory FBs may be the key to the control of active keloids.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sejin Oh
- Department of Dermatology, Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Eunhye Yeo
- Department of Dermatology, Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea
- Department of Medical Device Management and Research, Samsung Advanced Institute for Health Sciences and Technology, Sungkyunkwan University, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Joonho Shim
- Department of Dermatology, Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Hyungrye Noh
- Department of Dermatology, Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Jihye Park
- Department of Dermatology, Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Kyeong-Tae Lee
- Department of Plastic Surgery, Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Seok-Hyung Kim
- Department of Pathology, Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Dongyoun Lee
- Department of Dermatology, Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Jong Hee Lee
- Department of Dermatology, Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea
- Department of Medical Device Management and Research, Samsung Advanced Institute for Health Sciences and Technology, Sungkyunkwan University, Seoul, Republic of Korea
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11
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Rius Rigau A, Li YN, Matei AE, Györfi AH, Bruch PM, Koziel S, Devakumar V, Gabrielli A, Kreuter A, Wang J, Dietrich S, Schett G, Distler JHW, Liang M. Characterization of Vascular Niche in Systemic Sclerosis by Spatial Proteomics. Circ Res 2024; 134:875-891. [PMID: 38440901 DOI: 10.1161/circresaha.123.323299] [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: 06/28/2023] [Accepted: 02/19/2024] [Indexed: 03/06/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Systemic sclerosis (SSc) is a connective tissue disease that can serve as a model to study vascular changes in response to inflammation, autoimmunity, and fibrotic remodeling. Although microvascular changes are the earliest histopathologic manifestation of SSc, the vascular pathophysiology remains poorly understood. METHODS We applied spatial proteomic approaches to deconvolute the heterogeneity of vascular cells at the single-cell level in situ and characterize cellular alterations of the vascular niches of patients with SSc. Skin biopsies of patients with SSc and control individuals were analyzed by imaging mass cytometry, yielding a total of 90 755 cells including 2987 endothelial cells and 4096 immune cells. RESULTS We identified 7 different subpopulations of blood vascular endothelial cells (VECs), 2 subpopulations of lymphatic endothelial cells, and 3 subpopulations of pericytes. A novel population of CD34+;αSMA+ (α-smooth muscle actin);CD31+ VECs was more common in SSc, whereas endothelial precursor cells were decreased. Co-detection by indexing and tyramide signal amplification confirmed these findings. The microenvironment of CD34+;αSMA+;CD31+ VECs was enriched for immune cells and myofibroblasts, and CD34+;αSMA+;CD31+ VECs expressed markers of endothelial-to-mesenchymal transition. The density of CD34+;αSMA+;CD31+ VECs was associated with clinical progression of fibrosis in SSc. CONCLUSIONS Using spatial proteomics, we unraveled the heterogeneity of vascular cells in control individuals and patients with SSc. We identified CD34+;αSMA+;CD31+ VECs as a novel endothelial cell population that is increased in patients with SSc, expresses markers for endothelial-to-mesenchymal transition, and is located in close proximity to immune cells and myofibroblasts. CD34+;αSMA+;CD31+ VEC counts were associated with clinical outcomes of progressive fibrotic remodeling, thus providing a novel cellular correlate for the crosstalk of vasculopathy and fibrosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aleix Rius Rigau
- Department of Internal Medicine 3, Rheumatology and Clinical Immunology (A.R.R., G.S., J.H.W.D., M.L.), Friedrich-Alexander-University Erlangen-Nürnberg and University Hospital Erlangen, Germany
- Deutsches Zentrum Immuntherapie (A.R.R., G.S., J.H.W.D., M.L.), Friedrich-Alexander-University Erlangen-Nürnberg and University Hospital Erlangen, Germany
| | - Yi-Nan Li
- Clinic for Rheumatology (Y.-N.L., A.-E.M., A.-H.G., V.D., A.G., J.H.W.D., M.L.), University Hospital Düsseldorf, Medical Faculty of Heinrich Heine University, Germany
- Hiller Research Center (Y.-N.L., A.-E.M., A.-H.G., V.D., A.G., J.H.W.D., M.L.), University Hospital Düsseldorf, Medical Faculty of Heinrich Heine University, Germany
| | - Alexandru-Emil Matei
- Clinic for Rheumatology (Y.-N.L., A.-E.M., A.-H.G., V.D., A.G., J.H.W.D., M.L.), University Hospital Düsseldorf, Medical Faculty of Heinrich Heine University, Germany
- Hiller Research Center (Y.-N.L., A.-E.M., A.-H.G., V.D., A.G., J.H.W.D., M.L.), University Hospital Düsseldorf, Medical Faculty of Heinrich Heine University, Germany
| | - Andrea-Hermina Györfi
- Clinic for Rheumatology (Y.-N.L., A.-E.M., A.-H.G., V.D., A.G., J.H.W.D., M.L.), University Hospital Düsseldorf, Medical Faculty of Heinrich Heine University, Germany
- Hiller Research Center (Y.-N.L., A.-E.M., A.-H.G., V.D., A.G., J.H.W.D., M.L.), University Hospital Düsseldorf, Medical Faculty of Heinrich Heine University, Germany
| | - Peter-Martin Bruch
- Department of Haematology, Oncology and Clinical Immunology, University Hospital Düsseldorf, Germany (P.-M.B., S.K., S.D.)
- Center for Integrated Oncology Aachen-Bonn-Cologne-Düsseldorf, Aachen Bonn Cologne, Germany (P.-M.B., S.K., S.D.)
- Molecular Medicine Partnership Unit, Heidelberg, Germany (P.-M.B., S.K., S.D.)
- Department of Hematology, Oncology and Rheumatology, University Hospital Heidelberg, Germany (P.-M.B., S.D.)
| | - Sarah Koziel
- Department of Haematology, Oncology and Clinical Immunology, University Hospital Düsseldorf, Germany (P.-M.B., S.K., S.D.)
- Center for Integrated Oncology Aachen-Bonn-Cologne-Düsseldorf, Aachen Bonn Cologne, Germany (P.-M.B., S.K., S.D.)
- Molecular Medicine Partnership Unit, Heidelberg, Germany (P.-M.B., S.K., S.D.)
- Düsseldorf School of Oncology, Germany (S.K.)
| | - Veda Devakumar
- Clinic for Rheumatology (Y.-N.L., A.-E.M., A.-H.G., V.D., A.G., J.H.W.D., M.L.), University Hospital Düsseldorf, Medical Faculty of Heinrich Heine University, Germany
- Hiller Research Center (Y.-N.L., A.-E.M., A.-H.G., V.D., A.G., J.H.W.D., M.L.), University Hospital Düsseldorf, Medical Faculty of Heinrich Heine University, Germany
| | - Armando Gabrielli
- Clinic for Rheumatology (Y.-N.L., A.-E.M., A.-H.G., V.D., A.G., J.H.W.D., M.L.), University Hospital Düsseldorf, Medical Faculty of Heinrich Heine University, Germany
- Hiller Research Center (Y.-N.L., A.-E.M., A.-H.G., V.D., A.G., J.H.W.D., M.L.), University Hospital Düsseldorf, Medical Faculty of Heinrich Heine University, Germany
- Fondazione di Medicina Molecolare e Terapia Cellulare, Università Politecnica delle Marche, Ancona, Italy (A.G.)
| | - Alexander Kreuter
- Department of Dermatology, Venerology and Allergology, Helios St. Johannes Klinik Duisburg, Germany (A.K.)
- Department of Dermatology, Venerology and Allergology, Helios St. Elisabeth Klinik Oberhausen, University Witten-Herdecke, Germany (A.K.)
| | - Jiucun Wang
- Department of Rheumatology, Huashan Hospital (J.W., M.L.), Fudan University, Shanghai, P. R. China
- State Key Laboratory of Genetic Engineering, Collaborative Innovation Center for Genetics and Development, School of Life Sciences, and Human Phenome Institute, Fudan University, Shanghai, P. R. China (J.W.)
- Research Unit of Dissecting the Population Genetics and Developing New Technologies for Treatment and Prevention of Skin Phenotypes and Dermatological Diseases (2019RU058), Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Shanghai, P. R. China (J.W.)
| | - Sascha Dietrich
- Department of Haematology, Oncology and Clinical Immunology, University Hospital Düsseldorf, Germany (P.-M.B., S.K., S.D.)
- Center for Integrated Oncology Aachen-Bonn-Cologne-Düsseldorf, Aachen Bonn Cologne, Germany (P.-M.B., S.K., S.D.)
- Molecular Medicine Partnership Unit, Heidelberg, Germany (P.-M.B., S.K., S.D.)
- Department of Hematology, Oncology and Rheumatology, University Hospital Heidelberg, Germany (P.-M.B., S.D.)
| | - Georg Schett
- Department of Internal Medicine 3, Rheumatology and Clinical Immunology (A.R.R., G.S., J.H.W.D., M.L.), Friedrich-Alexander-University Erlangen-Nürnberg and University Hospital Erlangen, Germany
- Deutsches Zentrum Immuntherapie (A.R.R., G.S., J.H.W.D., M.L.), Friedrich-Alexander-University Erlangen-Nürnberg and University Hospital Erlangen, Germany
| | - Jörg H W Distler
- Department of Internal Medicine 3, Rheumatology and Clinical Immunology (A.R.R., G.S., J.H.W.D., M.L.), Friedrich-Alexander-University Erlangen-Nürnberg and University Hospital Erlangen, Germany
- Deutsches Zentrum Immuntherapie (A.R.R., G.S., J.H.W.D., M.L.), Friedrich-Alexander-University Erlangen-Nürnberg and University Hospital Erlangen, Germany
- Clinic for Rheumatology (Y.-N.L., A.-E.M., A.-H.G., V.D., A.G., J.H.W.D., M.L.), University Hospital Düsseldorf, Medical Faculty of Heinrich Heine University, Germany
- Hiller Research Center (Y.-N.L., A.-E.M., A.-H.G., V.D., A.G., J.H.W.D., M.L.), University Hospital Düsseldorf, Medical Faculty of Heinrich Heine University, Germany
| | - Minrui Liang
- Department of Internal Medicine 3, Rheumatology and Clinical Immunology (A.R.R., G.S., J.H.W.D., M.L.), Friedrich-Alexander-University Erlangen-Nürnberg and University Hospital Erlangen, Germany
- Deutsches Zentrum Immuntherapie (A.R.R., G.S., J.H.W.D., M.L.), Friedrich-Alexander-University Erlangen-Nürnberg and University Hospital Erlangen, Germany
- Clinic for Rheumatology (Y.-N.L., A.-E.M., A.-H.G., V.D., A.G., J.H.W.D., M.L.), University Hospital Düsseldorf, Medical Faculty of Heinrich Heine University, Germany
- Hiller Research Center (Y.-N.L., A.-E.M., A.-H.G., V.D., A.G., J.H.W.D., M.L.), University Hospital Düsseldorf, Medical Faculty of Heinrich Heine University, Germany
- Department of Rheumatology, Huashan Hospital (J.W., M.L.), Fudan University, Shanghai, P. R. China
- Huashan Rare Disease Center (M.L.), Fudan University, Shanghai, P. R. China
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12
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Ma F, Tsou PS, Gharaee-Kermani M, Plazyo O, Xing X, Kirma J, Wasikowski R, Hile GA, Harms PW, Jiang Y, Xing E, Nakamura M, Ochocki D, Brodie WD, Pillai S, Maverakis E, Pellegrini M, Modlin RL, Varga J, Tsoi LC, Lafyatis R, Kahlenberg JM, Billi AC, Khanna D, Gudjonsson JE. Systems-based identification of the Hippo pathway for promoting fibrotic mesenchymal differentiation in systemic sclerosis. Nat Commun 2024; 15:210. [PMID: 38172207 PMCID: PMC10764940 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-44645-6] [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: 02/27/2023] [Accepted: 12/23/2023] [Indexed: 01/05/2024] Open
Abstract
Systemic sclerosis (SSc) is a devastating autoimmune disease characterized by excessive production and accumulation of extracellular matrix, leading to fibrosis of skin and other internal organs. However, the main cellular participants in SSc skin fibrosis remain incompletely understood. Here using differentiation trajectories at a single cell level, we demonstrate a dual source of extracellular matrix deposition in SSc skin from both myofibroblasts and endothelial-to-mesenchymal-transitioning cells (EndoMT). We further define a central role of Hippo pathway effectors in differentiation and homeostasis of myofibroblast and EndoMT, respectively, and show that myofibroblasts and EndoMTs function as central communication hubs that drive key pro-fibrotic signaling pathways in SSc. Together, our data help characterize myofibroblast differentiation and EndoMT phenotypes in SSc skin, and hint that modulation of the Hippo pathway may contribute in reversing the pro-fibrotic phenotypes in myofibroblasts and EndoMTs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Feiyang Ma
- Department of Dermatology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
- Division of Rheumatology, Dept of Internal Medicine, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Pei-Suen Tsou
- Division of Rheumatology, Dept of Internal Medicine, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
- University of Michigan Scleroderma Program, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Mehrnaz Gharaee-Kermani
- Division of Rheumatology, Dept of Internal Medicine, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Olesya Plazyo
- Division of Rheumatology, Dept of Internal Medicine, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Xianying Xing
- Division of Rheumatology, Dept of Internal Medicine, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Joseph Kirma
- Division of Rheumatology, Dept of Internal Medicine, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Rachael Wasikowski
- Division of Rheumatology, Dept of Internal Medicine, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Grace A Hile
- Division of Rheumatology, Dept of Internal Medicine, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Paul W Harms
- Department of Dermatology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
- Department of Pathology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Yanyun Jiang
- Department of Dermatology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Enze Xing
- Division of Rheumatology, Dept of Internal Medicine, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Mio Nakamura
- Department of Dermatology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Danielle Ochocki
- Division of Rheumatology, Dept of Internal Medicine, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
- University of Michigan Scleroderma Program, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - William D Brodie
- Division of Rheumatology, Dept of Internal Medicine, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Shiv Pillai
- Ragon Institute, Massachusetts General Hospital, Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Harvard University, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Emanual Maverakis
- Department of Dermatology, University of California, Davis, Sacramento, CA, USA
| | - Matteo Pellegrini
- Dept of Molecular, Cell, and Developmental Biology, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Robert L Modlin
- Dept of Molecular, Cell, and Developmental Biology, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
- Division of Dermatology, Department of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, 90095, USA
| | - John Varga
- Division of Rheumatology, Dept of Internal Medicine, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
- University of Michigan Scleroderma Program, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Lam C Tsoi
- Department of Dermatology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Robert Lafyatis
- Division of Rheumatology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - J Michelle Kahlenberg
- Division of Rheumatology, Dept of Internal Medicine, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Allison C Billi
- Department of Dermatology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Dinesh Khanna
- Division of Rheumatology, Dept of Internal Medicine, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA.
- University of Michigan Scleroderma Program, Ann Arbor, MI, USA.
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13
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Cantu A, Gutierrez MC, Dong X, Leek C, Anguera M, Lingappan K. Modulation of recovery from neonatal hyperoxic lung injury by sex as a biological variable. Redox Biol 2023; 68:102933. [PMID: 38661305 PMCID: PMC10628633 DOI: 10.1016/j.redox.2023.102933] [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: 08/09/2023] [Revised: 10/07/2023] [Accepted: 10/11/2023] [Indexed: 04/26/2024] Open
Abstract
Recovery from lung injury during the neonatal period requires the orchestration of many biological pathways. The modulation of such pathways can drive the developing lung towards proper repair or persistent maldevelopment that can lead to a disease phenotype. Sex as a biological variable can regulate these pathways differently in the male and female lung exposed to neonatal hyperoxia. In this study, we assessed the contribution of cellular diversity in the male and female neonatal lung following injury. Our objective was to investigate sex and cell-type specific transcriptional changes that drive repair or persistent injury in the neonatal lung and delineate the alterations in the immune-endothelial cell communication networks using single cell RNA sequencing (sc-RNAseq) in a murine model of hyperoxic injury. We generated transcriptional profiles of >55,000 cells isolated from the lungs of postnatal day 1 (PND 1; pre-exposure), PND 7, and PND 21neonatal male and female C57BL/6 mice exposed to 95 % FiO2 between PND 1-5 (saccular stage of lung development). We show the presence of sex-based differences in the transcriptional states of lung endothelial and immune cells at PND 1 and PND 21. Furthermore, we demonstrate that biological sex significantly influences the response to injury, with a greater number of differentially expressed genes showing sex-specific patterns than those shared between male and female lungs. Pseudotime trajectory analysis highlighted genes needed for lung development that were altered by hyperoxia. Finally, we show intercellular communication between endothelial and immune cells at saccular and alveolar stages of lung development with sex-based biases in the crosstalk and identify novel ligand-receptor pairs. Our findings provide valuable insights into the cell diversity, transcriptional state, developmental trajectory, and cell-cell communication underlying neonatal lung injury, with implications for understanding lung development and possible therapeutic interventions while highlighting the crucial role of sex as a biological variable.
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Affiliation(s)
- Abiud Cantu
- Department of Neonatology, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | | | - Xiaoyu Dong
- Department of Pediatrics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Connor Leek
- Department of Neonatology, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Montserrat Anguera
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Krithika Lingappan
- Department of Neonatology, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
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14
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Kawaguchi Y, Kuwana M. Pathogenesis of vasculopathy in systemic sclerosis and its contribution to fibrosis. Curr Opin Rheumatol 2023; 35:309-316. [PMID: 37490353 DOI: 10.1097/bor.0000000000000959] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/27/2023]
Abstract
PURPOSE OF REVIEW In patients with systemic sclerosis (SSc), vascular manifestations precede skin and organ fibrosis. There is increasing evidence demonstrating a pathogenic link between early vascular injury and subsequent development of tissue fibrosis. RECENT FINDINGS Our knowledge of cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying a unique relationship between SSc-related vasculopathy and fibrosis has changed over the last few years. There is increasing evidence showing viral infection as a potential trigger elucidating vascular injury. Due to defective vascular repair machinery, this initial event results in endothelial cell activation and apoptosis as well as the recruitment of inflammatory/immune cells, leading to endothelial-to-mesenchymal transition. This sequential process induces destructive vasculopathy in capillaries, fibroproliferative vascular lesions in arteries, and excessive fibrosis in the surrounding tissue. A variety of molecular mechanisms and pathways involved in vascular remodeling linked to subsequent excessive fibrosis have been identified and serve as attractive therapeutic targets for SSc. SUMMARY Endothelial injury may play a central role in connecting three features that characterize SSc pathogenesis: vasculopathy, chronic inflammation, and fibrosis. Our understanding of the processes responsible for myofibroblast differentiation triggered by vascular injury will provide the rationale for novel targeted therapies for SSc.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yasushi Kawaguchi
- Division of Rheumatology, Department of Internal Medicine, Tokyo Women's Medical University School of Medicine
| | - Masataka Kuwana
- Department of Allergy and Rheumatology, Graduate School of Medicine, Nippon Medical School, Tokyo, Japan
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15
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Berkowitz JS, Tabib T, Xiao H, Sadej GM, Khanna D, Fuschiotti P, Lafyatis RA, Das J. Cell Type-Specific Biomarkers of Systemic Sclerosis Disease Severity Capture Cell-Intrinsic and Cell-Extrinsic Circuits. Arthritis Rheumatol 2023; 75:1819-1830. [PMID: 37096444 PMCID: PMC10543405 DOI: 10.1002/art.42536] [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: 09/16/2022] [Revised: 03/04/2023] [Accepted: 04/13/2023] [Indexed: 04/26/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Systemic sclerosis (SSc) is a multifactorial autoimmune fibrotic disorder involving complex rewiring of cell-intrinsic and cell-extrinsic signaling coexpression networks involving a range of cell types. However, the rewired circuits as well as corresponding cell-cell interactions remain poorly understood. To address this, we used a predictive machine learning framework to analyze single-cell RNA-sequencing data from 24 SSc patients across the severity spectrum as quantified by the modified Rodnan skin score (MRSS). METHODS We used a least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO)-based predictive machine learning approach on the single-cell RNA-sequencing data set to identify predictive biomarkers of SSc severity, both across and within cell types. The use of L1 regularization helps prevent overfitting on high-dimensional data. Correlation network analyses were coupled to the LASSO model to identify cell-intrinsic and cell-extrinsic co-correlates of the identified biomarkers of SSc severity. RESULTS We found that the uncovered cell type-specific predictive biomarkers of MRSS included previously implicated genes in fibroblast and myeloid cell subsets (e.g., SFPR2+ fibroblasts and monocytes), as well as novel gene biomarkers of MRSS, especially in keratinocytes. Correlation network analyses revealed novel cross-talk between immune pathways and implicated keratinocytes in addition to fibroblast and myeloid cells as key cell types involved in SSc pathogenesis. We then validated the uncovered association of key gene expression and protein markers in keratinocytes, KRT6A and S100A8, with SSc skin disease severity. CONCLUSION Our global systems analyses reveal previously uncharacterized cell-intrinsic and cell-extrinsic signaling coexpression networks underlying SSc severity that involve keratinocytes, myeloid cells, and fibroblasts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jacob S Berkowitz
- Center for Systems Immunology, Departments of Immunology and Computational & Systems Biology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Tracy Tabib
- Division of Rheumatology and Clinical Immunology, Department of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Hanxi Xiao
- Center for Systems Immunology, Departments of Immunology and Computational & Systems Biology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Gabrielle M. Sadej
- Division of Rheumatology and Clinical Immunology, Department of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Dinesh Khanna
- Division of Rheumatology, Department of Medicine, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Patrizia Fuschiotti
- Division of Rheumatology and Clinical Immunology, Department of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Robert A. Lafyatis
- Division of Rheumatology and Clinical Immunology, Department of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Jishnu Das
- Center for Systems Immunology, Departments of Immunology and Computational & Systems Biology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
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16
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Tang C, Zhang S, Teymur A, Yang B, Nazir F, Cai Q, Saxena R, Olsen NJ, Mohan C, Wu T. V-Set Immunoglobulin Domain-Containing Protein 4 as a Novel Serum Biomarker of Lupus Nephritis and Renal Pathology Activity. Arthritis Rheumatol 2023; 75:1573-1585. [PMID: 37163449 PMCID: PMC10524163 DOI: 10.1002/art.42545] [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: 04/11/2023] [Revised: 04/11/2023] [Accepted: 04/13/2023] [Indexed: 05/12/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE To discover novel serum biomarkers that have diagnostic or predictive value in lupus nephritis (LN). METHODS Using a quantitative protein microarray, we screened for high-abundant proteome expression in the serum of patients with LN compared to healthy controls. Top candidates from this screening were validated using a larger cohort of patients with LN compared to a disease control cohort (subjects with other chronic kidney diseases) and a healthy control cohort. Promising markers were then selected using a machine-learning model and further validated with a larger patient cohort. The corresponding autoantibodies and immune complexes containing these proteins were also examined. RESULTS In total, 13 proteins were found to be significantly elevated in LN patient serum in the screening, among which 8 proteins were validated by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay using 81 serum samples from LN patients and control subjects. Three serum markers with LN diagnostic potential were identified using feature importance analysis and further validated using 155 serum samples from LN patients and control subjects. V-set immunoglobulin domain-containing protein 4 (VSIG4) appeared to be the most promising marker in distinguishing LN from healthy controls, with an area under the curve of 0.93. VSIG4 could also discriminate active LN from inactive LN. Furthermore, serum VSIG4 levels were positively correlated with all of the following clinical parameters: the Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Disease Activity Index (SLEDAI) score (Spearman's rank correlation rs = 0.42, P < 0.001), the renal domain score of the SLEDAI (rs = 0.46, P < 0.001), the urinary protein-to-creatinine ratio (rs = 0.56, P < 0.001), and the serum creatinine level (rs = 0.41, P < 0.001). Importantly, we found that serum VSIG4 levels tracked with LN disease activity longitudinally, and that serum VSIG4 levels reflected the renal pathology activity index (AI), particularly the AI components of crescent formation and hyaline deposits. CONCLUSION VSIG4 may be a promising novel serum biomarker and therapeutic target in patients with LN.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chenling Tang
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Houston, Texas, USA
| | - Shu Zhang
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Houston, Texas, USA
| | - Aygun Teymur
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Houston, Texas, USA
| | - Bowen Yang
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Houston, Texas, USA
| | - Fariz Nazir
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Houston, Texas, USA
| | - Qi Cai
- Department of Pathology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, USA
| | - Ramesh Saxena
- Division of Nephrology, University of Texas, Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas, USA
| | - Nancy J. Olsen
- Division of Rheumatology, Department of Medicine, Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center, Hershey, PA, USA
| | - Chandra Mohan
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Houston, Texas, USA
| | - Tianfu Wu
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Houston, Texas, USA
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17
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Cantu A, Gutierrez MC, Dong X, Leek C, Anguera M, Lingappan K. Modulation of Recovery from Neonatal Hyperoxic Lung Injury by Sex as a Biological Variable. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.08.09.552532. [PMID: 37609288 PMCID: PMC10441379 DOI: 10.1101/2023.08.09.552532] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 08/24/2023]
Abstract
Recovery from lung injury during the neonatal period requires the orchestration of many biological pathways. The modulation of such pathways can drive the developing lung towards proper repair or persistent maldevelopment that can lead to a disease phenotype. Sex as a biological variable can regulate these pathways differently in the male and female lung exposed to neonatal hyperoxia. In this study, we assessed the contribution of cellular diversity in the male and female neonatal lung following injury. Our objective was to investigate sex and cell-type specific transcriptional changes that drive repair or persistent injury in the neonatal lung and delineate the alterations in the immune-endothelial cell communication networks using single cell RNA sequencing (sc-RNAseq) in a murine model of hyperoxic injury. We generated transcriptional profiles of >55,000 cells isolated from the lungs of postnatal day 1 (PND 1) and postnatal day 21 (PND 21) neonatal male and female C57BL/6 mice exposed to 95% FiO 2 between PND 1-5 (saccular stage of lung development). We show the presence of sex-based differences in the transcriptional states of lung endothelial and immune cells at PND 1 and PND 21. Furthermore, we demonstrate that biological sex significantly influences the response to injury, with a greater number of differentially expressed genes showing sex-specific patterns than those shared between male and female lungs. Pseudotime trajectory analysis highlighted genes needed for lung development that were altered by hyperoxia. Finally, we show intercellular communication between endothelial and immune cells at saccular and alveolar stages of lung development with sex-based biases in the crosstalk and identify novel ligand-receptor pairs. Our findings provide valuable insights into the cell diversity, transcriptional state, developmental trajectory, and cell-cell communication underlying neonatal lung injury, with implications for understanding lung development and possible therapeutic interventions while highlighting the crucial role of sex as a biological variable.
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Frommer ML, Langridge BJ, Awad L, Jasionowska S, Denton CP, Abraham DJ, Abu-Hanna J, Butler PEM. Single-Cell Analysis of ADSC Interactions with Fibroblasts and Endothelial Cells in Scleroderma Skin. Cells 2023; 12:1784. [PMID: 37443817 PMCID: PMC10341100 DOI: 10.3390/cells12131784] [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: 06/02/2023] [Revised: 06/29/2023] [Accepted: 06/30/2023] [Indexed: 07/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Adipose-derived stem cells (ADSCs) as part of autologous fat grafting have anti-fibrotic and anti-inflammatory effects, but the exact mechanisms of action remain unknown. By simulating the interaction of ADSCs with fibroblasts and endothelial cells (EC) from scleroderma (SSc) skin in silico, we aim to unravel these mechanisms. Publicly available single-cell RNA sequencing data from the stromal vascular fraction of 3 lean patients and biopsies from the skin of 10 control and 12 patients with SSc were obtained from the GEO and analysed using R and Seurat. Differentially expressed genes were used to compare the fibroblast and EC transcriptome between controls and SSc. GO and KEGG functional enrichment was performed. Ligand-receptor interactions of ADSCs with fibroblasts and ECs were explored with LIANA. Pro-inflammatory and extracellular matrix (ECM) interacting fibroblasts were identified in SSc. Arterial, capillary, venous and lymphatic ECs showed a pro-fibrotic and pro-inflammatory transcriptome. Most interactions with both cell types were based on ECM proteins. Differential interactions identified included NTN1, VEGFD, MMP2, FGF2, and FNDC5. The ADSC secretome may disrupt vascular and perivascular inflammation hubs in scleroderma by promoting angiogenesis and especially lymphangiogenesis. Key phenomena observed after fat grafting remain unexplained, including modulation of fibroblast behaviour.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marvin L. Frommer
- Charles Wolfson Centre for Reconstructive Surgery, Royal Free Hospital, London NW3 2QG, UK; (B.J.L.); (J.A.-H.); (P.E.M.B.)
- Department of Surgical Biotechnology, Division of Surgery & Interventional Science, University College London, London NW3 2QG, UK
- Department of Plastic Surgery, Royal Free Hospital, London NW3 2QG, UK
| | - Benjamin J. Langridge
- Charles Wolfson Centre for Reconstructive Surgery, Royal Free Hospital, London NW3 2QG, UK; (B.J.L.); (J.A.-H.); (P.E.M.B.)
- Department of Surgical Biotechnology, Division of Surgery & Interventional Science, University College London, London NW3 2QG, UK
- Department of Plastic Surgery, Royal Free Hospital, London NW3 2QG, UK
| | - Laura Awad
- Charles Wolfson Centre for Reconstructive Surgery, Royal Free Hospital, London NW3 2QG, UK; (B.J.L.); (J.A.-H.); (P.E.M.B.)
- Department of Plastic Surgery, Royal Free Hospital, London NW3 2QG, UK
| | - Sara Jasionowska
- Charles Wolfson Centre for Reconstructive Surgery, Royal Free Hospital, London NW3 2QG, UK; (B.J.L.); (J.A.-H.); (P.E.M.B.)
- Department of Plastic Surgery, Royal Free Hospital, London NW3 2QG, UK
| | - Christopher P. Denton
- Centre for Rheumatology, Department of Inflammation, Division of Medicine, University College London, London NW3 2QG, UK
| | - David J. Abraham
- Centre for Rheumatology, Department of Inflammation, Division of Medicine, University College London, London NW3 2QG, UK
| | - Jeries Abu-Hanna
- Charles Wolfson Centre for Reconstructive Surgery, Royal Free Hospital, London NW3 2QG, UK; (B.J.L.); (J.A.-H.); (P.E.M.B.)
- Division of Medical Sciences, University of Oxford, Oxford OX3 9DU, UK
| | - Peter E. M. Butler
- Charles Wolfson Centre for Reconstructive Surgery, Royal Free Hospital, London NW3 2QG, UK; (B.J.L.); (J.A.-H.); (P.E.M.B.)
- Department of Surgical Biotechnology, Division of Surgery & Interventional Science, University College London, London NW3 2QG, UK
- Department of Plastic Surgery, Royal Free Hospital, London NW3 2QG, UK
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19
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Spinella A, Lo Tartaro D, Gibellini L, de Pinto M, Pinto V, Bonetti E, Lolli F, Lattanzi M, Lumetti F, Amati G, De Santis G, Cossarizza A, Salvarani C, Giuggioli D. Altered pathways of keratinization, extracellular matrix generation, angiogenesis, and stromal stem cells proliferation in patients with systemic sclerosis. JOURNAL OF SCLERODERMA AND RELATED DISORDERS 2023; 8:151-166. [PMID: 37287944 PMCID: PMC10242696 DOI: 10.1177/23971983221130145] [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: 07/24/2022] [Accepted: 09/15/2022] [Indexed: 06/04/2024]
Abstract
Objective Systemic sclerosis is characterized by endothelial dysfunction, autoimmunity abnormalities, and fibrosis of the skin and internal organs. The pathogenetic mechanisms underlying systemic sclerosis vasculopathy are still not clarified. A complex cellular and extracellular network of interactions has been studied, but it is currently unclear what drives the activation of fibroblasts/myofibroblasts and the extracellular matrix deposition. Methods Using RNA sequencing, the aim of the work was to identify potential functional pathways implied in systemic sclerosis pathogenesis and markers of endothelial dysfunction and fibrosis in systemic sclerosis patients. RNA-sequencing analysis was performed on RNA obtained from biopsies from three systemic sclerosis patients and three healthy controls enrolled in our University Hospital. RNA was used to generate sequencing libraries that were sequenced according to proper transcriptomic analyses. Subsequently, we performed gene set enrichment analysis of differentially expressed genes on the entire list of genes that compose the RNA-sequencing expression matrix. Results Gene set enrichment analysis revealed that healthy controls were characterized by gene signatures related to stromal stem cells proliferation, cytokine-cytokine receptor interaction, macrophage-enriched metabolic network, whereas systemic sclerosis tissues were enriched in signatures associated with keratinization, cornification, retinoblastoma 1 and tumor suppressor 53 signaling. Conclusion According to our data, RNA-sequencing and pathway analysis revealed that systemic sclerosis subjects display a discrete pattern of gene expression associated with keratinization, extracellular matrix generation, and negative regulation of angiogenesis and stromal stem cells proliferation. Further analysis on larger numbers of patients is needed; however, our findings provide an interesting framework for the development of biomarkers useful to explore potential future therapeutic approaches.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amelia Spinella
- Scleroderma Unit and Rheumatology Unit, Medical School, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, University Hospital of Modena Policlinico of Modena, Modena, Italy
| | - Domenico Lo Tartaro
- Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences of Children and Adults, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Modena, Italy
| | - Lara Gibellini
- Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences of Children and Adults, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Modena, Italy
| | - Marco de Pinto
- Scleroderma Unit and Rheumatology Unit, Medical School, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, University Hospital of Modena Policlinico of Modena, Modena, Italy
| | - Valentina Pinto
- Division of Plastic Surgery, University Hospital of Modena and Reggio Emilia Policlinico of Modena, Modena, Italy
| | - Elisa Bonetti
- Division of Plastic Surgery, University Hospital of Modena and Reggio Emilia Policlinico of Modena, Modena, Italy
| | - Francesca Lolli
- Division of Plastic Surgery, University Hospital of Modena and Reggio Emilia Policlinico of Modena, Modena, Italy
| | - Melba Lattanzi
- Division of Plastic Surgery, University Hospital of Modena and Reggio Emilia Policlinico of Modena, Modena, Italy
| | - Federica Lumetti
- Scleroderma Unit and Rheumatology Unit, Medical School, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, University Hospital of Modena Policlinico of Modena, Modena, Italy
| | - Gabriele Amati
- Scleroderma Unit and Rheumatology Unit, Medical School, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, University Hospital of Modena Policlinico of Modena, Modena, Italy
| | - Giorgio De Santis
- Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences of Children and Adults, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Modena, Italy
- Division of Plastic Surgery, University Hospital of Modena and Reggio Emilia Policlinico of Modena, Modena, Italy
| | - Andrea Cossarizza
- Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences of Children and Adults, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Modena, Italy
| | - Carlo Salvarani
- Scleroderma Unit and Rheumatology Unit, Medical School, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, University Hospital of Modena Policlinico of Modena, Modena, Italy
- Department of Surgery, Medicine, Dentistry and Morphological Sciences with Transplant Surgery, Oncology and Regenerative Medicine Relevance, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Modena, Italy
- Rheumatology Unit, AUSL-IRCCS of Reggio Emilia, Reggio Emilia, Italy
| | - Dilia Giuggioli
- Scleroderma Unit and Rheumatology Unit, Medical School, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, University Hospital of Modena Policlinico of Modena, Modena, Italy
- Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences of Children and Adults, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Modena, Italy
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20
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Becker LM, Chen SH, Rodor J, de Rooij LPMH, Baker AH, Carmeliet P. Deciphering endothelial heterogeneity in health and disease at single-cell resolution: progress and perspectives. Cardiovasc Res 2023; 119:6-27. [PMID: 35179567 PMCID: PMC10022871 DOI: 10.1093/cvr/cvac018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/29/2021] [Revised: 12/16/2021] [Accepted: 02/16/2022] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Endothelial cells (ECs) constitute the inner lining of vascular beds in mammals and are crucial for homeostatic regulation of blood vessel physiology, but also play a key role in pathogenesis of many diseases, thereby representing realistic therapeutic targets. However, it has become evident that ECs are heterogeneous, encompassing several subtypes with distinct functions, which makes EC targeting and modulation in diseases challenging. The rise of the new single-cell era has led to an emergence of studies aimed at interrogating transcriptome diversity along the vascular tree, and has revolutionized our understanding of EC heterogeneity from both a physiological and pathophysiological context. Here, we discuss recent landmark studies aimed at teasing apart the heterogeneous nature of ECs. We cover driving (epi)genetic, transcriptomic, and metabolic forces underlying EC heterogeneity in health and disease, as well as current strategies used to combat disease-enriched EC phenotypes, and propose strategies to transcend largely descriptive heterogeneity towards prioritization and functional validation of therapeutically targetable drivers of EC diversity. Lastly, we provide an overview of the most recent advances and hurdles in single EC OMICs.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | - Andrew H Baker
- Corresponding authors. Tel: +32 16 32 62 47, E-mail: (P.C.); Tel: +44 (0)131 242 6774, E-mail: (A.H.B.)
| | - Peter Carmeliet
- Corresponding authors. Tel: +32 16 32 62 47, E-mail: (P.C.); Tel: +44 (0)131 242 6774, E-mail: (A.H.B.)
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21
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Patel JR, Joel MZ, Lee KK, Kambala A, Cornman H, Oladipo O, Taylor M, Deng J, Parthasarathy V, Cravero K, Marani M, Zhao R, Sankararam S, Li R, Pritchard T, Rebecca V, Kwatra MM, Ho WJ, Dong X, Kang S, Kwatra SG. Single-cell RNA sequencing reveals dysregulated fibroblast subclusters in prurigo nodularis. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.01.29.526050. [PMID: 36778229 PMCID: PMC9915465 DOI: 10.1101/2023.01.29.526050] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/04/2023]
Abstract
Prurigo nodularis (PN) is an intensely pruritic, chronic inflammatory skin disease that disproportionately affects black patients. However, the pathogenesis of PN is poorly understood. We performed single-cell transcriptomic profiling, ligand receptor analysis and cell trajectory analysis of 28,695 lesional and non-lesional PN skin cells to uncover disease-identifying cell compositions and genetic characteristics. We uncovered a dysregulated role for fibroblasts (FBs) and myofibroblasts as a key pathogenic element in PN, which were significantly increased in PN lesional skin. We defined seven unique subclusters of FBs in PN skin and observed a shift of PN lesional FBs towards a cancer-associated fibroblast (CAF)-like phenotype, with WNT5A+ CAFs increased in the skin of PN patients and similarly so in squamous cell carcinoma (SCC). A multicenter PN cohort study subsequently revealed an increased risk of SCC as well as additional CAF-associated malignancies in PN patients, including breast and colorectal cancers. Systemic fibroproliferative diseases were also upregulated in PN patients, including renal sclerosis and idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. Ligand receptor analyses demonstrated increased FB1-derived WNT5A and periostin interactions with neuronal receptors MCAM and ITGAV, suggesting a fibroblast-neuronal axis in PN. Type I IFN responses in immune cells and increased angiogenesis/permeability in endothelial cells were also observed. As compared to atopic dermatitis (AD) and psoriasis (PSO) patients, increased mesenchymal dysregulation is unique to PN with an intermediate Th2/Th17 phenotype between atopic dermatitis and psoriasis. These findings identify a pathogenic role for CAFs in PN, including a novel targetable WNT5A+ fibroblast subpopulation and CAF-associated malignancies in PN patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jay R. Patel
- Department of Dermatology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Marina Z. Joel
- Department of Dermatology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Kevin K. Lee
- Department of Dermatology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Anusha Kambala
- Department of Dermatology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Hannah Cornman
- Department of Dermatology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Olusola Oladipo
- Department of Dermatology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Matthew Taylor
- Department of Dermatology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - June Deng
- Department of Dermatology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Varsha Parthasarathy
- Department of Dermatology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Karen Cravero
- Department of Dermatology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Melika Marani
- Department of Dermatology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Ryan Zhao
- Department of Dermatology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Sreenidhi Sankararam
- Department of Dermatology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Ruixiang Li
- Department of Dermatology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Thomas Pritchard
- Department of Dermatology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Vito Rebecca
- Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Madan M. Kwatra
- Department of Anesthesiology, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC, USA
- Department of Pharmacology and Cancer Biology, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Won Jin Ho
- Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
- Bloomberg-Kimmel Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Xinzhong Dong
- The Solomon H. Snyder Department of Neuroscience, Center for Sensory Biology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Sewon Kang
- Department of Dermatology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Shawn G. Kwatra
- Department of Dermatology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
- Department of Oncology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
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22
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Roberson ED, Carns M, Cao L, Aren K, Goldberg IA, Morales-Heil DJ, Korman BD, Atkinson JP, Varga J. Alterations of the Primary Cilia Gene SPAG17 and SOX9 Locus Noncoding RNAs Identified by RNA-Sequencing Analysis in Patients With Systemic Sclerosis. Arthritis Rheumatol 2023; 75:108-119. [PMID: 35762854 PMCID: PMC10445493 DOI: 10.1002/art.42281] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/06/2022] [Revised: 05/12/2022] [Accepted: 06/23/2022] [Indexed: 02/04/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Systemic sclerosis (SSc) is characterized by immune activation, vasculopathy, and unresolving fibrosis in the skin, lungs, and other organs. We performed RNA-sequencing analysis on skin biopsy samples and peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) from SSc patients and unaffected controls to better understand the pathogenesis of SSc. METHODS We analyzed these data 1) to test for case/control differences and 2) to identify genes whose expression levels correlate with SSc severity as measured by local skin score, modified Rodnan skin thickness score (MRSS), forced vital capacity (FVC), or diffusing capacity for carbon monoxide (DLco). RESULTS We found that PBMCs from SSc patients showed a strong type I interferon signature. This signal was found to be replicated in the skin, with additional signals for increased extracellular matrix (ECM) genes, classical complement pathway activation, and the presence of B cells. Notably, we observed a marked decrease in the expression of SPAG17, a cilia component, in SSc skin. We identified genes that correlated with the MRSS, DLco, and FVC in SSc PBMCs and skin using weighted gene coexpression network analysis. These genes were largely distinct from the case/control differentially expressed genes. In PBMCs, type I interferon signatures negatively correlated with the DLco. In SSc skin, ECM gene expression positively correlated with the MRSS. Network analysis of SSc skin genes that correlated with clinical features identified the noncoding RNAs SOX9-AS1 and ROCR, both near the SOX9 locus, as highly connected, "hub-like" genes in the network. CONCLUSION These results identify noncoding RNAs and SPAG17 as novel factors potentially implicated in the pathogenesis of SSc.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elisha D.O. Roberson
- Department of Medicine, Division of Rheumatology, Washington University, St. Louis, MO, USA
- Department of Genetics, Washington University, St. Louis, MO, USA
| | - Mary Carns
- Feinberg School of Medicine, Scleroderma Program, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Li Cao
- Department of Medicine, Division of Rheumatology, Washington University, St. Louis, MO, USA
| | - Kathleen Aren
- Feinberg School of Medicine, Scleroderma Program, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Isaac A. Goldberg
- Feinberg School of Medicine, Scleroderma Program, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - David J. Morales-Heil
- Department of Medicine, Division of Rheumatology, Washington University, St. Louis, MO, USA
| | - Benjamin D. Korman
- Feinberg School of Medicine, Scleroderma Program, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - John P. Atkinson
- Department of Medicine, Division of Rheumatology, Washington University, St. Louis, MO, USA
| | - John Varga
- Feinberg School of Medicine, Scleroderma Program, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, USA
- Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Rheumatology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
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23
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Odell ID, Steach H, Gauld SB, Reinke-Breen L, Karman J, Carr TL, Wetter JB, Phillips L, Hinchcliff M, Flavell RA. Epiregulin is a dendritic cell-derived EGFR ligand that maintains skin and lung fibrosis. Sci Immunol 2022; 7:eabq6691. [PMID: 36490328 PMCID: PMC9840167 DOI: 10.1126/sciimmunol.abq6691] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Immune cells are fundamental regulators of extracellular matrix (ECM) production by fibroblasts and have important roles in determining extent of fibrosis in response to inflammation. Although much is known about fibroblast signaling in fibrosis, the molecular signals between immune cells and fibroblasts that drive its persistence are poorly understood. We therefore analyzed skin and lung samples of patients with diffuse cutaneous systemic sclerosis, an autoimmune disease that causes debilitating fibrosis of the skin and internal organs. Here, we define a critical role of epiregulin-EGFR signaling between dendritic cells and fibroblasts to maintain elevated ECM production and accumulation in fibrotic tissue. We found that epiregulin expression marks an inducible state of DC3 dendritic cells triggered by type I interferon and that DC3-derived epiregulin activates EGFR on fibroblasts, driving a positive feedback loop through NOTCH signaling. In mouse models of skin and lung fibrosis, epiregulin was essential for persistence of fibrosis in both tissues, which could be abrogated by epiregulin genetic deficiency or a neutralizing antibody. Therapeutic administration of epiregulin antibody reversed fibrosis in patient skin and lung explants, identifying it as a previously unexplored biologic drug target. Our findings reveal epiregulin as a crucial immune signal that maintains skin and lung fibrosis in multiple diseases and represents a promising antifibrotic target.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ian D. Odell
- Department of Dermatology, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
- Department of Immunobiology, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Holly Steach
- Department of Immunobiology, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | - Monique Hinchcliff
- Department of Internal Medicine, Section of Rheumatology, Allergy & Immunology, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Richard A. Flavell
- Department of Immunobiology, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Chevy Chase, MD, USA
- Correspondence to: , Department of Immunobiology, Yale School of Medicine, 300 Cedar Street, TAC S-569, Post Office Box 208011, New Haven, CT 06520-8011
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Engelbrecht E, Kooistra T, Knipe RS. The Vasculature in Pulmonary Fibrosis. CURRENT TISSUE MICROENVIRONMENT REPORTS 2022; 3:83-97. [PMID: 36712832 PMCID: PMC9881604 DOI: 10.1007/s43152-022-00040-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 05/23/2022] [Indexed: 02/02/2023]
Abstract
Purpose of Review The current paradigm of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) pathogenesis involves recurrent injury to a sensitive alveolar epithelium followed by impaired repair responses marked by fibroblast activation and deposition of extracellular matrix. Multiple cell types are involved in this response with potential roles suggested by advances in single-cell RNA sequencing and lung developmental biology. Notably, recent work has better characterized the cell types present in the pulmonary endothelium and identified vascular changes in patients with IPF. Recent Findings Lung tissue from patients with IPF has been examined at single-cell resolution, revealing reductions in lung capillary cells and expansion of a population of vascular cells expressing markers associated with bronchial endothelium. In addition, pre-clinical models have demonstrated a fundamental role for aging and vascular permeability in the development of pulmonary fibrosis. Summary Mounting evidence suggests that the endothelium undergoes changes in the context of fibrosis, and these changes may contribute to the development and/or progression of pulmonary fibrosis. Additional studies will be needed to further define the functional role of these vascular changes.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Tristan Kooistra
- Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA
| | - Rachel S. Knipe
- Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA
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25
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Ding L, Li X, Zhu H, Luo H. Single-Cell Sequencing in Rheumatic Diseases: New Insights from the Perspective of the Cell Type. Aging Dis 2022; 13:1633-1651. [PMID: 36465169 PMCID: PMC9662270 DOI: 10.14336/ad.2022.0323] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/29/2021] [Accepted: 03/23/2022] [Indexed: 11/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Rheumatic diseases are a group of highly heterogeneous autoimmune and inflammatory disorders involving multiple systems. Dysfunction of immune and non-immune cells participates in the complex pathogenesis of rheumatic diseases. Therefore, studies on the abnormal activation of cell subtypes provided a specific basis for understanding the pathogenesis of rheumatic diseases, which promoted the accuracy of disease diagnosis and the effectiveness of various treatments. However, there was still a far way to achieve individualized precision medicine as the result of heterogeneity among cell subtypes. To obtain the biological information of cell subtypes, single-cell sequencing, a cutting-edge technology, is used for analyzing their genomes, transcriptomes, epigenetics, and proteomics. Novel results identified multiple cell subtypes in tissues of patients with rheumatic diseases by single-cell sequencing. Consequently, we provide an overview of recent applications of single-cell sequencing in rheumatic disease and cross-tissue to understand the cell subtypes and functions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Liqing Ding
- The Department of Rheumatology and Immunology, Xiangya Hospital of Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, China.
| | - Xiaojing Li
- The Department of Rheumatology and Immunology, Xiangya Hospital of Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, China.
| | - Honglin Zhu
- The Department of Rheumatology and Immunology, Xiangya Hospital of Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, China.
- Provincial Clinical Research Center for Rheumatic and Immunologic Diseases, Xiangya Hospital, Changsha, Hunan, China.
- National Clinical Research Center for Geriatric Disorders, Xiangya Hospital, Changsha, Hunan, China.
| | - Hui Luo
- The Department of Rheumatology and Immunology, Xiangya Hospital of Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, China.
- Provincial Clinical Research Center for Rheumatic and Immunologic Diseases, Xiangya Hospital, Changsha, Hunan, China.
- National Clinical Research Center for Geriatric Disorders, Xiangya Hospital, Changsha, Hunan, China.
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26
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Zeng L, Yang K, Zhang T, Zhu X, Hao W, Chen H, Ge J. Research progress of single-cell transcriptome sequencing in autoimmune diseases and autoinflammatory disease: A review. J Autoimmun 2022; 133:102919. [PMID: 36242821 DOI: 10.1016/j.jaut.2022.102919] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/13/2022] [Revised: 09/16/2022] [Accepted: 09/19/2022] [Indexed: 12/07/2022]
Abstract
Autoimmunity refers to the phenomenon that the body's immune system produces antibodies or sensitized lymphocytes to its own tissues to cause an immune response. Immune disorders caused by autoimmunity can mediate autoimmune diseases. Autoimmune diseases have complicated pathogenesis due to the many types of cells involved, and the mechanism is still unclear. The emergence of single-cell research technology can solve the problem that ordinary transcriptome technology cannot be accurate to cell type. It provides unbiased results through independent analysis of cells in tissues and provides more mRNA information for identifying cell subpopulations, which provides a novel approach to study disruption of immune tolerance and disturbance of pro-inflammatory pathways on a cellular basis. It may fundamentally change the understanding of molecular pathways in the pathogenesis of autoimmune diseases and develop targeted drugs. Single-cell transcriptome sequencing (scRNA-seq) has been widely applied in autoimmune diseases, which provides a powerful tool for demonstrating the cellular heterogeneity of tissues involved in various immune inflammations, identifying pathogenic cell populations, and revealing the mechanism of disease occurrence and development. This review describes the principles of scRNA-seq, introduces common sequencing platforms and practical procedures, and focuses on the progress of scRNA-seq in 41 autoimmune diseases, which include 9 systemic autoimmune diseases and autoinflammatory diseases (rheumatoid arthritis, systemic lupus erythematosus, etc.) and 32 organ-specific autoimmune diseases (5 Skin diseases, 3 Nervous system diseases, 4 Eye diseases, 2 Respiratory system diseases, 2 Circulatory system diseases, 6 Liver, Gallbladder and Pancreas diseases, 2 Gastrointestinal system diseases, 3 Muscle, Bones and joint diseases, 3 Urinary system diseases, 2 Reproductive system diseases). This review also prospects the molecular mechanism targets of autoimmune diseases from the multi-molecular level and multi-dimensional analysis combined with single-cell multi-omics sequencing technology (such as scRNA-seq, Single cell ATAC-seq and single cell immune group library sequencing), which provides a reference for further exploring the pathogenesis and marker screening of autoimmune diseases and autoimmune inflammatory diseases in the future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Liuting Zeng
- Department of Rheumatology, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Science & Peking Union Medical College, National Clinical Research Center for Dermatologic and Immunologic Diseases, State Key Laboratory of Complex Severe and Rare Diseases, Beijing, China.
| | - Kailin Yang
- Key Laboratory of Hunan Province for Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine on Prevention and Treatment of Cardio-Cerebral Diseases, Hunan University of Chinese Medicine, Changsha, China.
| | - Tianqing Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Hunan Province for Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine on Prevention and Treatment of Cardio-Cerebral Diseases, Hunan University of Chinese Medicine, Changsha, China
| | - Xiaofei Zhu
- Key Laboratory of Hunan Province for Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine on Prevention and Treatment of Cardio-Cerebral Diseases, Hunan University of Chinese Medicine, Changsha, China.
| | - Wensa Hao
- Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China
| | - Hua Chen
- Department of Rheumatology, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Science & Peking Union Medical College, National Clinical Research Center for Dermatologic and Immunologic Diseases, State Key Laboratory of Complex Severe and Rare Diseases, Beijing, China.
| | - Jinwen Ge
- Key Laboratory of Hunan Province for Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine on Prevention and Treatment of Cardio-Cerebral Diseases, Hunan University of Chinese Medicine, Changsha, China; Hunan Academy of Chinese Medicine, Changsha, China.
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Corano Scheri K, Liang X, Dalal V, Le Poole IC, Varga J, Hayashida T. SARA suppresses myofibroblast precursor transdifferentiation in fibrogenesis in a mouse model of scleroderma. JCI Insight 2022; 7:160977. [PMID: 36136606 PMCID: PMC9675568 DOI: 10.1172/jci.insight.160977] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/12/2022] [Accepted: 09/12/2022] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
We previously reported that Smad anchor for receptor activation (SARA) plays a critical role in maintaining epithelial cell phenotype. Here, we show that SARA suppressed myofibroblast precursor transdifferentiation in a mouse model of scleroderma. Mice overexpressing SARA specifically in PDGFR-β+ pericytes and pan-leukocytes (SARATg) developed significantly less skin fibrosis in response to bleomycin injection compared with wild-type littermates (SARAWT). Single-cell RNA-Seq analysis of skin PDGFR-β+ cells implicated pericyte subsets assuming myofibroblast characteristics under fibrotic stimuli, and SARA overexpression blocked the transition. In addition, a cluster that expresses molecules associated with Th2 cells and macrophage activation was enriched in SARAWT mice, but not in SARATg mice, after bleomycin treatment. Th2-specific Il-31 expression was increased in skin of the bleomycin-treated SARAWT mice and patients with scleroderma (or systemic sclerosis, SSc). Receptor-ligand analyses indicated that lymphocytes mediated pericyte transdifferentiation in SARAWT mice, while with SARA overexpression the myofibroblast activity of pericytes was suppressed. Together, these data suggest a potentially novel crosstalk between myofibroblast precursors and immune cells in the pathogenesis of SSc, in which SARA plays a critical role.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katia Corano Scheri
- Department of Pediatrics, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, Illinois, USA.,Pediatric Nephrology, Ann and Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, USA
| | - Xiaoyan Liang
- Department of Pediatrics, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, Illinois, USA
| | - Vidhi Dalal
- Department of Pediatrics, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, Illinois, USA.,Pediatric Nephrology, Ann and Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, USA
| | - I. Caroline Le Poole
- Departments of Dermatology and Microbiology and Immunology, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, Illinois, USA
| | - John Varga
- Division of Rheumatology, Department of Internal Medicine, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA
| | - Tomoko Hayashida
- Department of Pediatrics, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, Illinois, USA.,Pediatric Nephrology, Ann and Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, USA
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Zheng M, Hu Z, Zhou W, Kong Y, Wu R, Zhang B, Long H, Jia S, Lu Q, Zhao M. Single-cell transcriptome reveals immunopathological cell composition of skin lesions in subacute cutaneous lupus erythematosus. Clin Immunol 2022; 245:109172. [DOI: 10.1016/j.clim.2022.109172] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/17/2022] [Revised: 10/14/2022] [Accepted: 10/25/2022] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
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29
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Recent advances in elucidating the genetic basis of systemic sclerosis. Curr Opin Rheumatol 2022; 34:295-301. [PMID: 35979692 DOI: 10.1097/bor.0000000000000897] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
PURPOSE OF REVIEW Systemic sclerosis (SSc) is a complex autoimmune disorder that affects the connective tissue and causes severe vascular damage and fibrosis of the skin and internal organs. There are recent advances in the field that apply novel methods to high throughput genotype information of thousands of patients with SSc and provide promising results towards the use of genomic data to help SSc diagnosis and clinical care. RECENT FINDINGS This review addresses the development of the first SSc genomic risk score, which can contribute to differentiating SSc patients from healthy controls and other immune-mediated diseases. Moreover, we explore the implementation of data mining strategies on the results of genome-wide association studies to highlight subtype-specific HLA class II associations and a strong association of the HLA class I locus with SSc for the first time. Finally, the combination of genomic data with transcriptomics informed drug repurposing and genetic association studies in well characterized SSc patient cohorts identified markers of severe complications of the disease. SUMMARY Early diagnosis and clinical management of SSc and SSc-related complications are still challenging for rheumatologists. The development of predictive models and tools using genotype data may help to finally deliver personalized clinical care and treatment for patients with SSc in the near future.
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Kim SJ, Bale S, Verma P, Wan Q, Ma F, Gudjonsson JE, Hazen SL, Harms PW, Tsou PS, Khanna D, Tsoi LC, Gupta N, Ho KJ, Varga J. Gut microbe-derived metabolite trimethylamine N-oxide activates PERK to drive fibrogenic mesenchymal differentiation. iScience 2022; 25:104669. [PMID: 35856022 PMCID: PMC9287188 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2022.104669] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/23/2021] [Revised: 03/24/2022] [Accepted: 06/21/2022] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Intestinal dysbiosis is prominent in systemic sclerosis (SSc), but it remains unknown how it contributes to microvascular injury and fibrosis that are hallmarks of this disease. Trimethylamine (TMA) is generated by the gut microbiome and in the host converted by flavin-containing monooxygenase (FMO3) into trimethylamine N-oxide (TMAO), which has been implicated in chronic cardiovascular and metabolic diseases. Using cell culture systems and patient biopsies, we now show that TMAO reprograms skin fibroblasts, vascular endothelial cells, and adipocytic progenitor cells into myofibroblasts via the putative TMAO receptor protein R-like endoplasmic reticulum kinase (PERK). Remarkably, FMO3 was detected in skin fibroblasts and its expression stimulated by TGF-β1. Moreover, FMO3 was elevated in SSc skin biopsies and in SSc fibroblasts. A meta-organismal pathway thus might in SSc link gut microbiome to vascular remodeling and fibrosis via stromal cell reprogramming, implicating the FMO3-TMAO-PERK axis in pathogenesis, and as a promising target for therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Seok-Jo Kim
- Division of Rheumatology, Department of Internal Medicine, The University of Michigan, Suite 7C27, 300 North Ingalls Building, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
- SCM Lifescience Co. Ltd., Incheon, Republic of Korea
| | - Swarna Bale
- Division of Rheumatology, Department of Internal Medicine, The University of Michigan, Suite 7C27, 300 North Ingalls Building, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Priyanka Verma
- Division of Rheumatology, Department of Internal Medicine, The University of Michigan, Suite 7C27, 300 North Ingalls Building, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Qianqian Wan
- Division of Rheumatology, Department of Internal Medicine, The University of Michigan, Suite 7C27, 300 North Ingalls Building, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Feiyang Ma
- Department of Dermatology, The University of Michigan, 300 North Ingalls Building, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
- Department of Computational Medicine & Bioinformatics, The University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Johann E. Gudjonsson
- Division of Rheumatology, Department of Internal Medicine, The University of Michigan, Suite 7C27, 300 North Ingalls Building, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
- Department of Dermatology, The University of Michigan, 300 North Ingalls Building, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Stanley L. Hazen
- Department of Cardiovascular and Metabolic Sciences, Lerner Research Institute, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, OH, USA
- Center for Microbiome & Human Health, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, OH, USA
- Department of Cardiovascular Medicine, Heart and Vascular Institute, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, OH, USA
| | - Paul W. Harms
- Department of Dermatology, The University of Michigan, 300 North Ingalls Building, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
- Department of Pathology, The University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Pei-Suen Tsou
- Division of Rheumatology, Department of Internal Medicine, The University of Michigan, Suite 7C27, 300 North Ingalls Building, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Dinesh Khanna
- Division of Rheumatology, Department of Internal Medicine, The University of Michigan, Suite 7C27, 300 North Ingalls Building, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
- Michigan Scleroderma Program, The University of Michigan, 300 North Ingalls Building, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Lam C. Tsoi
- Department of Dermatology, The University of Michigan, 300 North Ingalls Building, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
- Department of Computational Medicine & Bioinformatics, The University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Nilaksh Gupta
- Department of Cardiovascular and Metabolic Sciences, Lerner Research Institute, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, OH, USA
- Center for Microbiome & Human Health, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, OH, USA
| | - Karen J. Ho
- Department of Surgery, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - John Varga
- Division of Rheumatology, Department of Internal Medicine, The University of Michigan, Suite 7C27, 300 North Ingalls Building, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
- Department of Dermatology, The University of Michigan, 300 North Ingalls Building, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
- Michigan Scleroderma Program, The University of Michigan, 300 North Ingalls Building, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
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31
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Kidney Involvement in Systemic Sclerosis. J Pers Med 2022; 12:jpm12071123. [PMID: 35887620 PMCID: PMC9324204 DOI: 10.3390/jpm12071123] [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: 06/16/2022] [Revised: 07/07/2022] [Accepted: 07/08/2022] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Background: Systemic sclerosis is a chronic multisystem autoimmune disease, characterized by diffuse fibrosis and abnormalities of microcirculation and small arterioles in the skin, joints and visceral organs. Material and Methods: We searched for the relevant articles on systemic sclerosis and kidney involvement in systemic sclerosis in the NIH library of medicine, transplant, rheumatologic and nephrological journals. Results: Half of patients with systemic sclerosis have clinical evidence of kidney involvement. Scleroderma renal crisis represents the most specific and serious renal event associated with this condition. It is characterized by an abrupt onset of moderate to marked hypertension and kidney failure. Early and aggressive treatment is mandatory to prevent irreversible organ damage and death. The advent of ACE-inhibitors revolutionized the management of scleroderma renal crisis. However, the outcomes of this serious complication are still poor, and between 20 to 50% of patients progress to end stage renal disease. Conclusions: Scleroderma renal crisis still represents a serious and life-threatening event. Thus, further studies on its prevention and on new therapeutic strategies should be encouraged.
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Single-cell sequencing reveals the antifibrotic effects of YAP/TAZ in systemic sclerosis. Int J Biochem Cell Biol 2022; 149:106257. [PMID: 35772663 DOI: 10.1016/j.biocel.2022.106257] [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: 04/24/2022] [Revised: 06/23/2022] [Accepted: 06/24/2022] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
Systemic sclerosis (SSc) is a heterogeneous disease with skin fibrosis. Yes-associated protein (YAP)/transcriptional coactivator with PDZ-binding motif (TAZ) is associated with fibrotic response. This work attempted to determine the precise mechanism of YAP/TAZ in SSc. Single-cell sequencing (scRNA-seq) was used to analyse the differential gene expression between SSc patients and healthy volunteers, showing that the YAP/TAZ signalling pathway was enriched in the fibroblasts of SSc patients. Subsequently, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and immunohistochemical analyses were conducted to examine the levels of YAP and TAZ in mild and severe SSc patients. YAP and TAZ were highly expressed in the serum and skin tissues of mild and severe SSc patients, especially severe SSc patients. Additionally, an SSc mouse model was induced by bleomycin, and the impacts of YAP/TAZ knockdown on the pathological changes in skin and lung tissues were detected by haematoxylin and eosin staining and Masson staining. Knockdown of YAP and TAZ inhibited α-SMA mRNA and protein expression in skin and lung tissues of SSc mice. Inhibition of YAP and TAZ reduced skin inflammation and thickness and repressed lung inflammation and fibrosis in SSc mice. Importantly, knockdown of YAP and TAZ synergistically inhibited inflammation and fibrosis in skin and lung tissues in SSc mice. In conclusion, this work demonstrated that knockdown of YAP and TAZ exerted a synergistic effect on alleviating SSc in mice. Thus, this work suggests that YAP/TAZ is a potential target for SSc treatment.
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33
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Theocharidis G, Tekkela S, Veves A, McGrath JA, Onoufriadis A. Single-cell transcriptomics in human skin research: available technologies, technical considerations, and disease applications. Exp Dermatol 2022; 31:655-673. [PMID: 35196402 PMCID: PMC9311140 DOI: 10.1111/exd.14547] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/28/2021] [Revised: 02/07/2022] [Accepted: 02/18/2022] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Single‐cell technologies have revolutionized research in the last decade, including for skin biology. Single‐cell RNA sequencing has emerged as a powerful tool allowing the dissection of human disease pathophysiology at unprecedented resolution by assessing cell‐to‐cell variation, facilitating identification of rare cell populations and elucidating cellular heterogeneity. In dermatology, this technology has been widely applied to inflammatory skin disorders, fibrotic skin diseases, wound healing complications and cutaneous neoplasms. Here, we discuss the available technologies and technical considerations of single‐cell RNA sequencing and describe its applications to a broad spectrum of dermatological diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Georgios Theocharidis
- Joslin-Beth Israel Deaconess Foot Center and The Rongxiang Xu, MD, Center for Regenerative Therapeutics, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Stavroula Tekkela
- St John's Institute of Dermatology, School of Basic and Medical Biosciences, King's College London, London, SE1 9RT, UK
| | - Aristidis Veves
- Joslin-Beth Israel Deaconess Foot Center and The Rongxiang Xu, MD, Center for Regenerative Therapeutics, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - John A McGrath
- St John's Institute of Dermatology, School of Basic and Medical Biosciences, King's College London, London, SE1 9RT, UK
| | - Alexandros Onoufriadis
- St John's Institute of Dermatology, School of Basic and Medical Biosciences, King's College London, London, SE1 9RT, UK
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34
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Dai B, Ding L, Zhao L, Zhu H, Luo H. Contributions of Immune Cells and Stromal Cells to the Pathogenesis of Systemic Sclerosis: Recent Insights. Front Pharmacol 2022; 13:826839. [PMID: 35185577 PMCID: PMC8852243 DOI: 10.3389/fphar.2022.826839] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/01/2021] [Accepted: 01/04/2022] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Systemic sclerosis (SSc) is a multisystem rheumatic disease characterized by vascular dysfunction, autoimmune abnormalities, and progressive organ fibrosis. A series of studies in SSc patients and fibrotic models suggest that immune cells, fibroblasts, and endothelial cells participate in inflammation and aberrant tissue repair. Furthermore, the growing number of studies on single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) technology in SSc elaborate on the transcriptomics and heterogeneities of these cell subsets significantly. In this review, we summarize the current knowledge regarding immune cells and stromal cells in SSc patients and discuss their potential roles in SSc pathogenesis, focusing on recent advances in the new subtypes by scRNA-seq.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bingying Dai
- Department of Rheumatology and Immunology, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, China
| | - Liqing Ding
- Department of Rheumatology and Immunology, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, China
| | - Lijuan Zhao
- Department of Rheumatology and Immunology, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, China
| | - Honglin Zhu
- Department of Rheumatology and Immunology, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, China
- Provincial Clinical Research Center for Rheumatic and Immunologic Diseases, Xiangya Hospital, Changsha, China
- National Clinical Research Center for Geriatric Disorders, Xiangya Hospital, Changsha, China
- *Correspondence: Honglin Zhu, ; Hui Luo,
| | - Hui Luo
- Department of Rheumatology and Immunology, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, China
- Provincial Clinical Research Center for Rheumatic and Immunologic Diseases, Xiangya Hospital, Changsha, China
- National Clinical Research Center for Geriatric Disorders, Xiangya Hospital, Changsha, China
- *Correspondence: Honglin Zhu, ; Hui Luo,
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35
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Kuret T, Sodin-Šemrl S, Leskošek B, Ferk P. Single Cell RNA Sequencing in Autoimmune Inflammatory Rheumatic Diseases: Current Applications, Challenges and a Step Toward Precision Medicine. Front Med (Lausanne) 2022; 8:822804. [PMID: 35118101 PMCID: PMC8804286 DOI: 10.3389/fmed.2021.822804] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/26/2021] [Accepted: 12/27/2021] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Single cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) represents a new large scale and high throughput technique allowing analysis of the whole transcriptome at the resolution of an individual cell. It has emerged as an imperative method in life science research, uncovering complex cellular networks and providing indices that will eventually lead to the development of more targeted and personalized therapies. The importance of scRNA-seq has been particularly highlighted through the analysis of complex biological systems, in which cellular heterogeneity is a key aspect, such as the immune system. Autoimmune inflammatory rheumatic diseases represent a group of disorders, associated with a dysregulated immune system and high patient heterogeneity in both pathophysiological and clinical aspects. This complicates the complete understanding of underlying pathological mechanisms, associated with limited therapeutic options available and their long-term inefficiency and even toxicity. There is an unmet need to investigate, in depth, the cellular and molecular mechanisms driving the pathogenesis of rheumatic diseases and drug resistance, identify novel therapeutic targets, as well as make a step forward in using stratified and informed therapeutic decisions, which could now be achieved with the use of single cell approaches. This review summarizes the current use of scRNA-seq in studying different rheumatic diseases, based on recent findings from published in vitro, in vivo, and clinical studies, as well as discusses the potential implementation of scRNA-seq in the development of precision medicine in rheumatology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tadeja Kuret
- Faculty of Medicine, Institute of Cell Biology, University of Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Snežna Sodin-Šemrl
- Department of Rheumatology, University Medical Centre Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia
- Faculty of Mathematics, Natural Sciences and Information Technologies, University of Primorska, Koper, Slovenia
| | - Brane Leskošek
- Faculty of Medicine, Institute for Biostatistics and Medical Informatics/ELIXIR-SI Center, University of Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Polonca Ferk
- Faculty of Medicine, Institute for Biostatistics and Medical Informatics/ELIXIR-SI Center, University of Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia
- *Correspondence: Polonca Ferk
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36
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Lu D, Wei J, Chen J, Zhao J, Wang J, Gong Y, Wei L, Wei Q, Ban H, Li Y, Wang Z, Luo C, Zhou H, Shen J, Liao Q, He S, Zhang W, Luo Q, Xie K, Song J, Meng L. Apelin Alleviates Meniscus Endothelial Cell Apoptosis in Osteoarthritis. DISEASE MARKERS 2022; 2022:3556372. [PMID: 35069930 PMCID: PMC8777459 DOI: 10.1155/2022/3556372] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/08/2021] [Revised: 12/15/2021] [Accepted: 01/03/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Osteoarthritis (OA) is a degenerative disease characterized by articular cartilage and/or chondrocyte destruction, and although it has long been considered as a primary disease, the importance of meniscus endothelial cell modulation in the subchondral microenvironment has recently drawn attention. Previous studies have shown that apelin could potentially inhibit cellular apoptosis; however, it remains unclear whether apelin could play a protective role in protecting the endothelium in the OA meniscus. In this study, with the advantages of single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) data, in combination with flow cytometry, we identified two endothelial subclusters in the meniscus, featured by high expression of Homeobox A13 (HOXA13) and Ras Protein-Specific Guanine Nucleotide Releasing Factor 2 (RASGRF2), respectively. Compared with control patients, both subclusters decreased in absolute cell numbers and exhibited downregulated APJ endogenous ligand (APLN, coding for apelin) and upregulated apelin receptor (APLNR, coding apelin receptor). Furthermore, we confirmed that in OA, decreased endothelial cell numbers, including both subclusters, were related to intrinsic apoptosis factors: one more relevant to caspase 3 (CASP3) and the other to BH3-Interacting Domain Death agonist (BID). In vitro culturing of meniscal endothelial cells purified from patients proved that apelin could significantly inhibit apoptosis by downregulating these two factors in endothelial cell subclusters, suggesting that apelin could potentially serve as a therapeutic target for patients with OA.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dinggui Lu
- Center for Systemic Inflammation Research (CSIR), School of Preclinical Medicine, Youjiang Medical University for Nationalities, Baise, Guangxi Province, China
- Department of Traumatology, The Affiliated Hospital of Youjiang Medical University for Nationalities, Baise, Guangxi Province, China
| | - Jihua Wei
- Center for Systemic Inflammation Research (CSIR), School of Preclinical Medicine, Youjiang Medical University for Nationalities, Baise, Guangxi Province, China
- Department of Traumatology, The Affiliated Hospital of Youjiang Medical University for Nationalities, Baise, Guangxi Province, China
- Department of Sport Medicine, The Affiliated Hospital of Youjiang Medical University for Nationalities, Baise, Guangxi Province, China
| | - Jian Chen
- Center for Systemic Inflammation Research (CSIR), School of Preclinical Medicine, Youjiang Medical University for Nationalities, Baise, Guangxi Province, China
- Department of Spinal Surgery, The Affiliated Hospital of Youjiang Medical University for Nationalities, Baise, Guangxi Province, China
| | - Jingjie Zhao
- Life Science and Clinical Research Center, The Affiliated Hospital of Youjiang Medical University for Nationalities, Guangxi Province, China
| | - Jiajia Wang
- Center for Systemic Inflammation Research (CSIR), School of Preclinical Medicine, Youjiang Medical University for Nationalities, Baise, Guangxi Province, China
| | - Yuanxun Gong
- Life Science and Clinical Research Center, The Affiliated Hospital of Youjiang Medical University for Nationalities, Guangxi Province, China
| | - Liuzhi Wei
- Center for Systemic Inflammation Research (CSIR), School of Preclinical Medicine, Youjiang Medical University for Nationalities, Baise, Guangxi Province, China
- School of Pharmacy, Youjiang Medical University for Nationalities, Baise, Guangxi Province, China
| | - Qiuju Wei
- Center for Systemic Inflammation Research (CSIR), School of Preclinical Medicine, Youjiang Medical University for Nationalities, Baise, Guangxi Province, China
- School of Pharmacy, Youjiang Medical University for Nationalities, Baise, Guangxi Province, China
| | - Huadeng Ban
- Department of Foot and Hand Surgery, The Affiliated Hospital of Youjiang Medical University for Nationalities, Baise, Guangxi Province, China
| | - Yueyong Li
- Department of Interventive Medicine, The Affiliated Hospital of Youjiang Medical University for Nationalities, Baise, Guangxi Province, China
| | - Zechen Wang
- Center for Systemic Inflammation Research (CSIR), School of Preclinical Medicine, Youjiang Medical University for Nationalities, Baise, Guangxi Province, China
| | - Changtai Luo
- Center for Systemic Inflammation Research (CSIR), School of Preclinical Medicine, Youjiang Medical University for Nationalities, Baise, Guangxi Province, China
- Department of Traumatology, The Affiliated Hospital of Youjiang Medical University for Nationalities, Baise, Guangxi Province, China
- Department of Sport Medicine, The Affiliated Hospital of Youjiang Medical University for Nationalities, Baise, Guangxi Province, China
| | - Haidong Zhou
- Center for Systemic Inflammation Research (CSIR), School of Preclinical Medicine, Youjiang Medical University for Nationalities, Baise, Guangxi Province, China
- Department of Traumatology, The Affiliated Hospital of Youjiang Medical University for Nationalities, Baise, Guangxi Province, China
- Department of Sport Medicine, The Affiliated Hospital of Youjiang Medical University for Nationalities, Baise, Guangxi Province, China
| | - Jiajia Shen
- Center for Systemic Inflammation Research (CSIR), School of Preclinical Medicine, Youjiang Medical University for Nationalities, Baise, Guangxi Province, China
| | - Qiujiao Liao
- Department of Spinal Surgery, The Affiliated Hospital of Youjiang Medical University for Nationalities, Baise, Guangxi Province, China
| | - Siyuan He
- Center for Systemic Inflammation Research (CSIR), School of Preclinical Medicine, Youjiang Medical University for Nationalities, Baise, Guangxi Province, China
| | - Weiyang Zhang
- Department of Traumatology, The Affiliated Hospital of Youjiang Medical University for Nationalities, Baise, Guangxi Province, China
| | - Qunqiang Luo
- Department of Foot and Hand Surgery, The Affiliated Hospital of Youjiang Medical University for Nationalities, Baise, Guangxi Province, China
| | - Kegong Xie
- Department of Spinal Surgery, The Affiliated Hospital of Youjiang Medical University for Nationalities, Baise, Guangxi Province, China
| | - Jian Song
- Center for Systemic Inflammation Research (CSIR), School of Preclinical Medicine, Youjiang Medical University for Nationalities, Baise, Guangxi Province, China
| | - Lingzhang Meng
- Center for Systemic Inflammation Research (CSIR), School of Preclinical Medicine, Youjiang Medical University for Nationalities, Baise, Guangxi Province, China
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Catar R, Herse-Naether M, Zhu N, Wagner P, Wischnewski O, Kusch A, Kamhieh-Milz J, Eisenreich A, Rauch U, Hegner B, Heidecke H, Kill A, Riemekasten G, Kleinau G, Scheerer P, Dragun D, Philippe A. Autoantibodies Targeting AT 1- and ET A-Receptors Link Endothelial Proliferation and Coagulation via Ets-1 Transcription Factor. Int J Mol Sci 2021; 23:244. [PMID: 35008670 PMCID: PMC8745726 DOI: 10.3390/ijms23010244] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [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: 11/23/2021] [Revised: 12/20/2021] [Accepted: 12/23/2021] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Scleroderma renal crisis (SRC) is an acute life-threatening manifestation of systemic sclerosis (SSc) caused by obliterative vasculopathy and thrombotic microangiopathy. Evidence suggests a pathogenic role of immunoglobulin G (IgG) targeting G-protein coupled receptors (GPCR). We therefore dissected SRC-associated vascular obliteration and investigated the specific effects of patient-derived IgG directed against angiotensin II type 1 (AT1R) and endothelin-1 type A receptors (ETAR) on downstream signaling events and endothelial cell proliferation. SRC-IgG triggered endothelial cell proliferation via activation of the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathway and subsequent activation of the E26 transformation-specific-1 transcription factor (Ets-1). Either AT1R or ETAR receptor inhibitors/shRNA abrogated endothelial proliferation, confirming receptor activation and Ets-1 signaling involvement. Binding of Ets-1 to the tissue factor (TF) promoter exclusively induced TF. In addition, TF inhibition prevented endothelial cell proliferation. Thus, our data revealed a thus far unknown link between SRC-IgG-induced intracellular signaling, endothelial cell proliferation and active coagulation in the context of obliterative vasculopathy and SRC. Patients' autoantibodies and their molecular effectors represent new therapeutic targets to address severe vascular complications in SSc.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rusan Catar
- Department of Nephrology and Medical Intensive Care, Charité—Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Corporate Member of Freie Universität Berlin and Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, 10117 Berlin, Germany; (M.H.-N.); (N.Z.); (P.W.); (O.W.); (A.K.); (B.H.)
- Center for Cardiovascular Research, Charité—Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Corporate Member of Freie Universität Berlin and Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, 10117 Berlin, Germany
| | - Melanie Herse-Naether
- Department of Nephrology and Medical Intensive Care, Charité—Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Corporate Member of Freie Universität Berlin and Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, 10117 Berlin, Germany; (M.H.-N.); (N.Z.); (P.W.); (O.W.); (A.K.); (B.H.)
- Center for Cardiovascular Research, Charité—Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Corporate Member of Freie Universität Berlin and Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, 10117 Berlin, Germany
| | - Nan Zhu
- Department of Nephrology and Medical Intensive Care, Charité—Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Corporate Member of Freie Universität Berlin and Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, 10117 Berlin, Germany; (M.H.-N.); (N.Z.); (P.W.); (O.W.); (A.K.); (B.H.)
- Shanghai General Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiaotong University, Shanghai 200025, China
| | - Philine Wagner
- Department of Nephrology and Medical Intensive Care, Charité—Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Corporate Member of Freie Universität Berlin and Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, 10117 Berlin, Germany; (M.H.-N.); (N.Z.); (P.W.); (O.W.); (A.K.); (B.H.)
- Center for Cardiovascular Research, Charité—Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Corporate Member of Freie Universität Berlin and Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, 10117 Berlin, Germany
| | - Oskar Wischnewski
- Department of Nephrology and Medical Intensive Care, Charité—Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Corporate Member of Freie Universität Berlin and Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, 10117 Berlin, Germany; (M.H.-N.); (N.Z.); (P.W.); (O.W.); (A.K.); (B.H.)
- Center for Cardiovascular Research, Charité—Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Corporate Member of Freie Universität Berlin and Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, 10117 Berlin, Germany
| | - Angelika Kusch
- Department of Nephrology and Medical Intensive Care, Charité—Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Corporate Member of Freie Universität Berlin and Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, 10117 Berlin, Germany; (M.H.-N.); (N.Z.); (P.W.); (O.W.); (A.K.); (B.H.)
- Center for Cardiovascular Research, Charité—Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Corporate Member of Freie Universität Berlin and Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, 10117 Berlin, Germany
- Berlin Institute of Health, Charité—Universitätsmedizin Berlin, BIH Biomedical Innovation Academy, 10117 Berlin, Germany
| | - Julian Kamhieh-Milz
- Department of Transfusion Medicine, Charité—Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Corporate Member of Freie Universität Berlin and Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, 10117 Berlin, Germany;
| | - Andreas Eisenreich
- Department of Cardiology, Charité—Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Corporate Member of Freie Universität Berlin and Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, 10117 Berlin, Germany; (A.E.); (U.R.)
| | - Ursula Rauch
- Department of Cardiology, Charité—Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Corporate Member of Freie Universität Berlin and Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, 10117 Berlin, Germany; (A.E.); (U.R.)
| | - Björn Hegner
- Department of Nephrology and Medical Intensive Care, Charité—Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Corporate Member of Freie Universität Berlin and Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, 10117 Berlin, Germany; (M.H.-N.); (N.Z.); (P.W.); (O.W.); (A.K.); (B.H.)
- Center for Cardiovascular Research, Charité—Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Corporate Member of Freie Universität Berlin and Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, 10117 Berlin, Germany
- Vitanas Klinik für Geriatrie, 13435 Berlin, Germany
| | | | - Angela Kill
- Deutsches Rheuma-Forschungszentrum (DRFZ), A. Leibniz Institute, 10117 Berlin, Germany; (A.K.); (G.R.)
- Department of Rheumatology and Clinical Immunology, CCM, Charité—Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Corporate Member of Freie Universität Berlin and Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, 10117 Berlin, Germany
| | - Gabriela Riemekasten
- Deutsches Rheuma-Forschungszentrum (DRFZ), A. Leibniz Institute, 10117 Berlin, Germany; (A.K.); (G.R.)
- Department of Rheumatology and Clinical Immunology, CCM, Charité—Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Corporate Member of Freie Universität Berlin and Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, 10117 Berlin, Germany
- Priority Area Asthma & Allergy, Research Center Borstel, Airway Research Center North (ARCN), Members of the German Center for Lung Research (DZL), 23845 Borstel, Germany
| | - Gunnar Kleinau
- Group Protein X-ray Crystallography and Signal Transduction, Institute of Medical Physics and Biophysics, Charité—Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Corporate Member of Freie Universität Berlin and Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, 10117 Berlin, Germany; (G.K.); (P.S.)
| | - Patrick Scheerer
- Group Protein X-ray Crystallography and Signal Transduction, Institute of Medical Physics and Biophysics, Charité—Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Corporate Member of Freie Universität Berlin and Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, 10117 Berlin, Germany; (G.K.); (P.S.)
- DZHK (Deutsches Zentrum für Herz-Kreislauf Forschung), Partner Site Berlin, 13353 Berlin, Germany
| | - Duska Dragun
- Department of Nephrology and Medical Intensive Care, Charité—Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Corporate Member of Freie Universität Berlin and Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, 10117 Berlin, Germany; (M.H.-N.); (N.Z.); (P.W.); (O.W.); (A.K.); (B.H.)
- Center for Cardiovascular Research, Charité—Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Corporate Member of Freie Universität Berlin and Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, 10117 Berlin, Germany
- Berlin Institute of Health, Charité—Universitätsmedizin Berlin, BIH Biomedical Innovation Academy, 10117 Berlin, Germany
| | - Aurelie Philippe
- Department of Nephrology and Medical Intensive Care, Charité—Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Corporate Member of Freie Universität Berlin and Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, 10117 Berlin, Germany; (M.H.-N.); (N.Z.); (P.W.); (O.W.); (A.K.); (B.H.)
- Center for Cardiovascular Research, Charité—Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Corporate Member of Freie Universität Berlin and Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, 10117 Berlin, Germany
- Berlin Institute of Health, Charité—Universitätsmedizin Berlin, BIH Biomedical Innovation Academy, 10117 Berlin, Germany
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The Regulatory Network of Sturgeon Chondroitin Sulfate on Colorectal Cancer Inhibition by Transcriptomic and Proteomic Analysis. Int J Mol Sci 2021; 22:ijms22179395. [PMID: 34502301 PMCID: PMC8430666 DOI: 10.3390/ijms22179395] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/25/2021] [Revised: 08/16/2021] [Accepted: 08/20/2021] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Chondroitin sulfate (CS) is a food-derived bioactive substance with multiple biological functions, which exists in animal cartilage and/or bone. Sturgeon, a type of cartilaginous fish, is rich in CS. Our recent study demonstrated the effect of sturgeon chondroitin sulfate (SCS) on reducing colorectal cancer cell proliferation and tumor formation. However, the molecular mechanisms of its anticancer activity remain unknown. In this study, the cell proliferation assay and flow cytometric analysis were used to examine the cell viability and apoptosis of colon cancer cell HT-29 cells and normal colonic epithelial cell NCM460 cells. Transcriptomic and proteomic studies were used to identify the main targets of SCS. SCS showed little effect on the genes/proteins expression profile of NCM460 cells but more sensitive to HT-29, in which 188 genes and 10 proteins were differentially expressed after SCS treatment. Enrichment analysis of those genes/proteins showed that the majority of them are involved in DNA replication, cell cycle progression and apoptosis. Quantitative RT-PCR and Western blot were used to determine essential genes/proteins and networks targeted by SCS to exert inhibiting the development of colorectal cancer function. This study provided great insights into developing food-derived novel therapeutics for colorectal cancer treatment.
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Insights Into Systemic Sclerosis from Gene Expression Profiling. CURRENT TREATMENT OPTIONS IN RHEUMATOLOGY 2021. [DOI: 10.1007/s40674-021-00183-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
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40
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Clark KEN, Campochiaro C, Csomor E, Taylor A, Nevin K, Galwey N, Morse MA, Singh J, Teo YV, Ong VH, Derrett-Smith E, Wisniacki N, Flint SM, Denton CP. Molecular basis for clinical diversity between autoantibody subsets in diffuse cutaneous systemic sclerosis. Ann Rheum Dis 2021; 80:1584-1593. [PMID: 34230031 DOI: 10.1136/annrheumdis-2021-220402] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/19/2021] [Accepted: 06/25/2021] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES Clinical heterogeneity is a cardinal feature of systemic sclerosis (SSc). Hallmark SSc autoantibodies are central to diagnosis and associate with distinct patterns of skin-based and organ-based complications. Understanding molecular differences between patients will benefit clinical practice and research and give insight into pathogenesis of the disease. We aimed to improve understanding of the molecular differences between key diffuse cutaneous SSc subgroups as defined by their SSc-specific autoantibodies METHODS: We have used high-dimensional transcriptional and proteomic analysis of blood and the skin in a well-characterised cohort of SSc (n=52) and healthy controls (n=16) to understand the molecular basis of clinical diversity in SSc and explore differences between the hallmark antinuclear autoantibody (ANA) reactivities. RESULTS Our data define a molecular spectrum of SSc based on skin gene expression and serum protein analysis, reflecting recognised clinical subgroups. Moreover, we show that antitopoisomerase-1 antibodies and anti-RNA polymerase III antibodies specificities associate with remarkably different longitudinal change in serum protein markers of fibrosis and divergent gene expression profiles. Overlapping and distinct disease processes are defined using individual patient pathway analysis. CONCLUSIONS Our findings provide insight into clinical diversity and imply pathogenetic differences between ANA-based subgroups. This supports stratification of SSc cases by ANA antibody subtype in clinical trials and may explain different outcomes across ANA subgroups in trials targeting specific pathogenic mechanisms.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Corrado Campochiaro
- Centre for Rheumatology and Connective Tissue Diseases, UCL Division of Medicine, London, UK
| | - Eszter Csomor
- Clinical Pharmacology & Experimental Medicine, GlaxoSmithKline Research and Development, Stevenage, UK
| | - Adam Taylor
- Clinical Pharmacology & Experimental Medicine, GlaxoSmithKline Research and Development, Stevenage, UK
| | - Katherine Nevin
- Clinical Pharmacology & Experimental Medicine, GlaxoSmithKline Research and Development, Stevenage, UK
| | - Nicholas Galwey
- Clinical Pharmacology & Experimental Medicine, GlaxoSmithKline Research and Development, Stevenage, UK
| | - Mary A Morse
- Clinical Pharmacology & Experimental Medicine, GlaxoSmithKline Research and Development, Stevenage, UK
| | - Jennifer Singh
- Clinical Pharmacology & Experimental Medicine, GlaxoSmithKline Research and Development, Stevenage, UK
| | - Yee Voan Teo
- Clinical Pharmacology & Experimental Medicine, GlaxoSmithKline Research and Development, Stevenage, UK
| | - Voon H Ong
- Centre for Rheumatology and Connective Tissue Diseases, UCL Division of Medicine, London, UK
| | - Emma Derrett-Smith
- Centre for Rheumatology and Connective Tissue Diseases, UCL Division of Medicine, London, UK
| | - Nicolas Wisniacki
- Clinical Pharmacology & Experimental Medicine, GlaxoSmithKline Research and Development, Stevenage, UK
| | - Shaun M Flint
- Clinical Pharmacology & Experimental Medicine, GlaxoSmithKline Research and Development, Stevenage, UK
| | - Christopher P Denton
- Centre for Rheumatology and Connective Tissue Diseases, UCL Division of Medicine, London, UK
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Lescoat A, Varga J, Matucci-Cerinic M, Khanna D. New promising drugs for the treatment of systemic sclerosis: pathogenic considerations, enhanced classifications, and personalized medicine. Expert Opin Investig Drugs 2021; 30:635-652. [PMID: 33909517 PMCID: PMC8292968 DOI: 10.1080/13543784.2021.1923693] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/26/2021] [Accepted: 04/26/2021] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Introduction: Systemic sclerosis (SSc), also known as scleroderma, is a complex orphan disease characterized by early inflammatory features, vascular hyper-reactivity, and fibrosis of the skin and internal organs. Although substantial progress has been made in the understanding of the pathogenesis of SSc, there is still no disease-modifying drug that could significantly impact the natural history of the disease.Areas covered: This review discusses the rationale, preclinical evidence, first clinical eevidence,and pending issues concerning new promising therapeutic options that are under investigation in SSc. The search strategy was based on PubMed database and clinical trial.gov, highlighting recent key pathogenic aspects and phase I or II trials of investigational drugs in SSc.Expert opinion: The identification of new molecular entities that potentially impact inflammation and fibrosis may constitute promising options for a disease modifying-agent in SSc. The early combinations of antifibrotic drugs (such as pirfenidone) with immunomodulatory agents (such as mycophenolate mofetil) may also participate to achieve such a goal. A more refined stratification of patients, based on clinical features, molecular signatures, and identification of subpopulations with distinct clinical trajectories, may also improve management strategies in the future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alain Lescoat
- Department of internal medicine, Division of rheumatology and Michigan Scleroderma Program, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA
- Division of Rheumatology, Department of Internal Medicine, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA
- Department of internal medicine, Univ Rennes, CHU Rennes, Inserm, EHESP, Irset (Institut De Recherche En Santé, Environnement Et Travail) - UMR_S 1085, Rennes, France
- Department of Internal Medicine and Clinical Immunology, Rennes University Hospital, Rennes, France
| | - John Varga
- Department of internal medicine, Division of rheumatology and Michigan Scleroderma Program, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA
- Division of Rheumatology, Department of Internal Medicine, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA
| | - Marco Matucci-Cerinic
- Department of Experimental and Clinical Medicine, Division of Rheumatology, University of Florence, Florence, Italy
| | - Dinesh Khanna
- Department of internal medicine, Division of rheumatology and Michigan Scleroderma Program, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA
- Division of Rheumatology, Department of Internal Medicine, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA
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Zou D, Qi J, Wu W, Xu D, Tu Y, Liu T, Zhang J, Li X, Lu F, He L. Applications of Single-Cell Sequencing in Dermatology. Med Sci Monit 2021; 27:e931862. [PMID: 34011922 PMCID: PMC8147034 DOI: 10.12659/msm.931862] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Single-cell sequencing (SCS) is a promising new technique used to assess the genomics, transcriptomics, epigenetics, and other multi-omics at the single-cell level. In addition to elucidating the immune microenvironment and revealing the pathomechanisms of disease and drug resistance, SCS can profile the actual state of an individual cell and identify a novel cell type and differentiation trajectories, which cannot be achieved by bulk tissue sequencing technique. SCS technique serves as powerful tools to explore more meaningful biomarkers of diagnosis, prognosis, and new therapeutic targets in clinical practice. The SCS technique has been widely applied in the field of dermatology. In this review, we summarize the advances of SCS in dermatology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dandan Zou
- Department of Dermatology, First Affiliated Hospital of Kunming Medical University, Kunming, Yunnan, China (mainland)
| | - Jue Qi
- Department of Dermatology, First Affiliated Hospital of Kunming Medical University, Kunming, Yunnan, China (mainland)
| | - Wenjuan Wu
- Department of Dermatology, First Affiliated Hospital of Kunming Medical University, Kunming, Yunnan, China (mainland)
| | - Dan Xu
- Department of Dermatology, First Affiliated Hospital of Kunming Medical University, Kunming, Yunnan, China (mainland)
| | - Ying Tu
- Department of Dermatology, First Affiliated Hospital of Kunming Medical University, Kunming, Yunnan, China (mainland)
| | - Tongyun Liu
- Department of Dermatology, First Affiliated Hospital of Kunming Medical University, Kunming, Yunnan, China (mainland)
| | - Juan Zhang
- Department of Dermatology, First Affiliated Hospital of Kunming Medical University, Kunming, Yunnan, China (mainland)
| | - Xing Li
- Department of Dermatology, People's Hospital of Chuxiong Yi Autonomous Prefecture, Chuxiong, Yunnan, China (mainland)
| | - Fengyan Lu
- Qujing Affiliated Hospital of Kunming Medical University and Department of Dermatology, The First People's Hospital of Qujing, Qujing, Yunnan, China (mainland)
| | - Li He
- Department of Dermatology, First Affiliated Hospital of Kunming Medical University, Kunming, Yunnan, China (mainland)
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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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Zhang MY, Fang S, Gao H, Zhang X, Gu D, Liu Y, Wan J, Xie J. A critical role of AREG for bleomycin-induced skin fibrosis. Cell Biosci 2021; 11:40. [PMID: 33622407 PMCID: PMC7903615 DOI: 10.1186/s13578-021-00553-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/18/2021] [Accepted: 02/10/2021] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
We report our discovery of an important player in the development of skin fibrosis, a hallmark of scleroderma. Scleroderma is a fibrotic disease, affecting 70,000 to 150,000 Americans. Fibrosis is a pathological wound healing process that produces an excessive extracellular matrix to interfere with normal organ function. Fibrosis contributes to nearly half of human mortality. Scleroderma has heterogeneous phenotypes, unpredictable outcomes, no validated biomarkers, and no effective treatment. Thus, strategies to slow down scleroderma progression represent an urgent medical need. While a pathological wound healing process like fibrosis leaves scars and weakens organ function, oral mucosa wound healing is a scarless process. After re-analyses of gene expression datasets from oral mucosa wound healing and skin fibrosis, we discovered that several pathways constitutively activated in skin fibrosis are transiently induced during oral mucosa wound healing process, particularly the amphiregulin (Areg) gene. Areg expression is upregulated ~ 10 folds 24hrs after oral mucosa wound but reduced to the basal level 3 days later. During bleomycin-induced skin fibrosis, a commonly used mouse model for skin fibrosis, Areg is up-regulated throughout the fibrogenesis and is associated with elevated cell proliferation in the dermis. To demonstrate the role of Areg for skin fibrosis, we used mice with Areg knockout, and found that Areg deficiency essentially prevents bleomycin-induced skin fibrosis. We further determined that bleomycin-induced cell proliferation in the dermis was not observed in the Areg null mice. Furthermore, we found that inhibiting MEK, a downstream signaling effector of Areg, by selumetinib also effectively blocked bleomycin-based skin fibrosis model. Based on these results, we concluded that the Areg-EGFR-MEK signaling axis is critical for skin fibrosis development. Blocking this signaling axis may be effective in treating scleroderma.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mary Yinghua Zhang
- Department of Pediatrics, The Wells Center for Pediatric Research, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA
| | - Shuyi Fang
- Department of BioHealth Informatics, School of Informatics and Computing At IUPUI, Indiana University, Indianapolis, IN, USA
| | - Hongyu Gao
- The IU Simon Comprehensive Cancer Center, Indiana University, Indianapolis, IN, USA
| | - Xiaoli Zhang
- Department of Pediatrics, The Wells Center for Pediatric Research, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA
| | - Dongsheng Gu
- Department of Pediatrics, The Wells Center for Pediatric Research, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA
| | - Yunlong Liu
- Department of BioHealth Informatics, School of Informatics and Computing At IUPUI, Indiana University, Indianapolis, IN, USA
- The IU Simon Comprehensive Cancer Center, Indiana University, Indianapolis, IN, USA
- The Center for Computational Biology and Bioinformatics, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA
- Department of Medical and Molecular Genetics, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA
| | - Jun Wan
- Department of BioHealth Informatics, School of Informatics and Computing At IUPUI, Indiana University, Indianapolis, IN, USA
- The IU Simon Comprehensive Cancer Center, Indiana University, Indianapolis, IN, USA
- The Center for Computational Biology and Bioinformatics, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA
- Department of Medical and Molecular Genetics, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA
| | - Jingwu Xie
- Department of Pediatrics, The Wells Center for Pediatric Research, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA.
- The IU Simon Comprehensive Cancer Center, Indiana University, Indianapolis, IN, USA.
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Abstract
The skin is an ecosystem composed of specialized cell types that work together to serve as a physical protective barrier. Single-cell resolution is therefore essential to deconvolve skin's heterogeneity by identifying novel, distinct cell subsets in health and disease. Single-cell RNA sequencing is a highly meticulous methodology used to study the distinct transcriptional profiles of each cell within large tissue libraries at uniquely high resolution. The investigative capabilities achieved by this methodology allow previously unattainable analyses, including identification of rare cell populations, evaluation of cell-to-cell variation, and the ability to track trajectories of distinct cell lineages through development. In the past decade, application of transcriptomic analysis to skin biology and dermatology has greatly advanced understanding of homeostatic physiology in the skin, as well as a multitude of dermatologic diseases. Single-cell RNA sequencing offers tremendous promise for identification of novel therapeutic targets in dermatologic diseases, with broad implications of improving therapeutic interventions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alana Deutsch
- Division of Dermatology, Department of Medicine, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, New York
| | - Beth N. McLellan
- Division of Dermatology, Department of Medicine, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, New York
| | - Kosaku Shinoda
- Division of Endocrinology and Diabetes, Department of Medicine, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, New York
- Department of Molecular Pharmacology, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, New York
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46
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Mehta BK, Espinoza ME, Hinchcliff M, Whitfield ML. Molecular "omic" signatures in systemic sclerosis. Eur J Rheumatol 2020; 7:S173-S180. [PMID: 33164732 DOI: 10.5152/eurjrheum.2020.19192] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/30/2019] [Accepted: 03/05/2020] [Indexed: 01/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Systemic sclerosis (SSc) is a connective tissue disorder characterized by immunologic, vascular, and extracellular matrix abnormalities. Variation in the proportion and/or timing of activation in the deregulated molecular pathways that underlie SSc may explain the observed clinical heterogeneity in terms of disease phenotype and treatment response. In recent years, SSc research has generated massive amounts of "omics" level data. In this review, we discuss the body of "omics" level work in SSc and how each layer provides unique insight to our understanding of SSc. We posit that effective integration of genomic, transcriptomic, metagenomic, and epigenomic data is an important step toward precision medicine and is vital to the identification of effective therapeutic options for patients with SSc.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bhaven K Mehta
- Department of Molecular and Systems Biology, Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, Hanover, NH, USA
| | - Monica E Espinoza
- Department of Molecular and Systems Biology, Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, Hanover, NH, USA
| | - Monique Hinchcliff
- Department of Rheumatology, Allergy & Immunology, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Michael L Whitfield
- Department of Molecular and Systems Biology, Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, Hanover, NH, USA.,Department of Biomedical Data Science, Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH, USA
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47
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Piera-Velazquez S, Wermuth PJ, Gomez-Reino JJ, Varga J, Jimenez SA. Chemical exposure-induced systemic fibrosing disorders: Novel insights into systemic sclerosis etiology and pathogenesis. Semin Arthritis Rheum 2020; 50:1226-1237. [PMID: 33059296 DOI: 10.1016/j.semarthrit.2020.09.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/16/2020] [Revised: 08/19/2020] [Accepted: 09/09/2020] [Indexed: 01/19/2023]
Abstract
Numerous drugs and chemical substances are capable of inducing exaggerated tissue fibrotic responses. The vast majority of these agents cause localized fibrotic tissue reactions or fibrosis confined to specific organs. Although much less frequent, chemically-induced systemic fibrotic disorders have been described, sometimes occurring as temporally confined outbreaks. These include the Toxic Oil Syndrome (TOS), the Eosinophilia-Myalgia Syndrome (EMS), and Nephrogenic Systemic Fibrosis (NSF). Although each of these disorders displays some unique characteristics, they all share crucial features with Systemic Sclerosis (SSc), the prototypic idiopathic systemic fibrotic disease, including vasculopathy, chronic inflammatory cell infiltration of affected tissues, and cutaneous and visceral tissue fibrosis. The study of the mechanisms and molecular alterations involved in the development of the chemically-induced systemic fibrotic disorders has provided valuable clues that may allow elucidation of SSc etiology and pathogenesis. Here, we review relevant aspects of the TOS, EMS, and NSF epidemic outbreaks of chemically-induced systemic fibrosing disorders that provide strong support to the hypothesis that SSc is caused by a toxic or biological agent that following its internalization by endothelial cells induces in genetically predisposed individuals a series of molecular alterations that result in the development of SSc clinical and pathological alterations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sonsoles Piera-Velazquez
- Jefferson Institute of Molecular Medicine and Scleroderma Center, Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, PA, United States
| | - Peter J Wermuth
- Jefferson Institute of Molecular Medicine and Scleroderma Center, Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, PA, United States
| | - Juan J Gomez-Reino
- Fundacion IDIS, Instituto de Investigacion Sanitaria, Hospital Clinico Universitario, Santiago de Compostela, Spain
| | - John Varga
- Rheumatology Division, North Western Scleroderma Program, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, United States
| | - Sergio A Jimenez
- Jefferson Institute of Molecular Medicine and Scleroderma Center, Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, PA, United States
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48
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Theocharidis G, Baltzis D, Roustit M, Tellechea A, Dangwal S, Khetani RS, Shu B, Zhao W, Fu J, Bhasin S, Kafanas A, Hui D, Sui SH, Patsopoulos NA, Bhasin M, Veves A. Integrated Skin Transcriptomics and Serum Multiplex Assays Reveal Novel Mechanisms of Wound Healing in Diabetic Foot Ulcers. Diabetes 2020; 69:2157-2169. [PMID: 32763913 PMCID: PMC7506837 DOI: 10.2337/db20-0188] [Citation(s) in RCA: 65] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/24/2020] [Accepted: 07/29/2020] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
Nonhealing diabetic foot ulcers (DFUs) are characterized by low-grade chronic inflammation, both locally and systemically. We prospectively followed a group of patients who either healed or developed nonhealing chronic DFUs. Serum and forearm skin analysis, both at the protein expression and the transcriptomic level, indicated that increased expression of factors such as interferon-γ (IFN-γ), vascular endothelial growth factor, and soluble vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 were associated with DFU healing. Furthermore, foot skin single-cell RNA sequencing analysis showed multiple fibroblast cell clusters and increased inflammation in the dorsal skin of patients with diabetes mellitus (DM) and DFU specimens compared with control subjects. In addition, in myeloid cell DM and DFU upstream regulator analysis, we observed inhibition of interleukin-13 and IFN-γ and dysregulation of biological processes that included cell movement of monocytes, migration of dendritic cells, and chemotaxis of antigen-presenting cells pointing to an impaired migratory profile of immune cells in DM skin. The SLCO2A1 and CYP1A1 genes, which were upregulated at the forearm of nonhealers, were mainly expressed by the vascular endothelial cell cluster almost exclusively in DFU, indicating a potential important role in wound healing. These results from integrated protein and transcriptome analyses identified individual genes and pathways that can potentially be targeted for enhancing DFU healing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Georgios Theocharidis
- Joslin-Beth Israel Deaconess Foot Center and The Rongxiang Xu, MD, Center for Regenerative Therapeutics, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA
| | - Dimitrios Baltzis
- Joslin-Beth Israel Deaconess Foot Center and The Rongxiang Xu, MD, Center for Regenerative Therapeutics, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA
| | - Matthieu Roustit
- Joslin-Beth Israel Deaconess Foot Center and The Rongxiang Xu, MD, Center for Regenerative Therapeutics, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA
| | - Ana Tellechea
- Joslin-Beth Israel Deaconess Foot Center and The Rongxiang Xu, MD, Center for Regenerative Therapeutics, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA
| | - Seema Dangwal
- Joslin-Beth Israel Deaconess Foot Center and The Rongxiang Xu, MD, Center for Regenerative Therapeutics, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA
| | - Radhika S Khetani
- Bioinformatics Core, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA
| | - Bin Shu
- Joslin-Beth Israel Deaconess Foot Center and The Rongxiang Xu, MD, Center for Regenerative Therapeutics, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA
| | - Wanni Zhao
- Joslin-Beth Israel Deaconess Foot Center and The Rongxiang Xu, MD, Center for Regenerative Therapeutics, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA
| | - Jianfang Fu
- Joslin-Beth Israel Deaconess Foot Center and The Rongxiang Xu, MD, Center for Regenerative Therapeutics, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA
| | - Swati Bhasin
- Department of Medicine, Division of Interdisciplinary Medicine and Biotechnology, and Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics and Systems Biology Center, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA
| | - Antonios Kafanas
- Joslin-Beth Israel Deaconess Foot Center and The Rongxiang Xu, MD, Center for Regenerative Therapeutics, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA
| | - Daniel Hui
- Systems Biology and Computer Science Program, Ann Romney Center for Neurological Diseases, Department of Neurology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA
- Division of Genetics, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA
- Broad Institute of Harvard and Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA
| | - Shannan Ho Sui
- Bioinformatics Core, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA
| | - Nikolaos A Patsopoulos
- Systems Biology and Computer Science Program, Ann Romney Center for Neurological Diseases, Department of Neurology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA
- Division of Genetics, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA
- Broad Institute of Harvard and Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA
| | - Manoj Bhasin
- Department of Medicine, Division of Interdisciplinary Medicine and Biotechnology, and Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics and Systems Biology Center, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA
| | - Aristidis Veves
- Joslin-Beth Israel Deaconess Foot Center and The Rongxiang Xu, MD, Center for Regenerative Therapeutics, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA
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49
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Jakab M, Augustin HG. Understanding angiodiversity: insights from single cell biology. Development 2020; 147:147/15/dev146621. [DOI: 10.1242/dev.146621] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
ABSTRACT
Blood vessels have long been considered as passive conduits for delivering blood. However, in recent years, cells of the vessel wall (endothelial cells, smooth muscle cells and pericytes) have emerged as active, highly dynamic components that orchestrate crosstalk between the circulation and organs. Encompassing the whole body and being specialized to the needs of distinct organs, it is not surprising that vessel lining cells come in different flavours. There is calibre-specific specialization (arteries, arterioles, capillaries, venules, veins), but also organ-specific heterogeneity in different microvascular beds (continuous, discontinuous, sinusoidal). Recent technical advances in the field of single cell biology have enabled the profiling of thousands of single cells and, hence, have allowed for the molecular dissection of such angiodiversity, yielding a hitherto unparalleled level of spatial and functional resolution. Here, we review how these approaches have contributed to our understanding of angiodiversity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Moritz Jakab
- European Center for Angioscience (ECAS), Medical Faculty Mannheim, Heidelberg University, 68167 Mannheim, Germany
- Division of Vascular Oncology and Metastasis, German Cancer Research Center Heidelberg (DKFZ-ZMBH Alliance), 69120 Heidelberg, Germany
- Faculty of Biosciences, Heidelberg University, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Hellmut G. Augustin
- European Center for Angioscience (ECAS), Medical Faculty Mannheim, Heidelberg University, 68167 Mannheim, Germany
- Faculty of Biosciences, Heidelberg University, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany
- German Cancer Consortium, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany
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50
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Dubois A, Gopee N, Olabi B, Haniffa M. Defining the Skin Cellular Community Using Single-Cell Genomics to Advance Precision Medicine. J Invest Dermatol 2020; 141:255-264. [PMID: 32713511 DOI: 10.1016/j.jid.2020.05.104] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/01/2020] [Revised: 05/06/2020] [Accepted: 05/15/2020] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
Single-cell genomics has revolutionized biological science, enabling high-resolution analysis of human tissues. The ability to demonstrate the role and function of distinct cell types comprising human tissues paves the way for a new understanding of cellular pathways, interactions, and future research directions. The skin, easily accessible and possessing a diverse and complex role in defending us both physically and immunologically from the outside world, lends itself ideally to single-cell genomics analysis. Here, we outline the benefits of single-cell RNA sequencing while also highlighting the challenges in achieving a meaningful result from its use. Key milestones relating to the study of skin in this way are introduced, covering both healthy and diseased states, and we discuss the potential promise of single-cell RNA sequencing to result in tangible medical advances, with a particular focus on precision medicine.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna Dubois
- Department of Dermatology and NIHR Newcastle Biomedical Research Centre, Newcastle Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Newcastle upon Tyne, United Kingdom
| | - Nusayhah Gopee
- Department of Dermatology and NIHR Newcastle Biomedical Research Centre, Newcastle Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Newcastle upon Tyne, United Kingdom
| | - Bayanne Olabi
- Department of Dermatology, Lauriston Building, Lauriston Place, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
| | - Muzlifah Haniffa
- Department of Dermatology and NIHR Newcastle Biomedical Research Centre, Newcastle Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Newcastle upon Tyne, United Kingdom; Biosciences Institute, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, United Kingdom.
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