1
|
M. S. Barron A, Fabre T, De S. Distinct fibroblast functions associated with fibrotic and immune-mediated inflammatory diseases and their implications for therapeutic development. F1000Res 2024; 13:54. [PMID: 38681509 PMCID: PMC11053351 DOI: 10.12688/f1000research.143472.1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 12/28/2023] [Indexed: 05/01/2024] Open
Abstract
Fibroblasts are ubiquitous cells that can adopt many functional states. As tissue-resident sentinels, they respond to acute damage signals and shape the earliest events in fibrotic and immune-mediated inflammatory diseases. Upon sensing an insult, fibroblasts produce chemokines and growth factors to organize and support the response. Depending on the size and composition of the resulting infiltrate, these activated fibroblasts may also begin to contract or relax thus changing local stiffness within the tissue. These early events likely contribute to the divergent clinical manifestations of fibrotic and immune-mediated inflammatory diseases. Further, distinct changes to the cellular composition and signaling dialogue in these diseases drive progressive fibroblasts specialization. In fibrotic diseases, fibroblasts support the survival, activation and differentiation of myeloid cells, granulocytes and innate lymphocytes, and produce most of the pathogenic extracellular matrix proteins. Whereas, in immune-mediated inflammatory diseases, sequential accumulation of dendritic cells, T cells and B cells programs fibroblasts to support local, destructive adaptive immune responses. Fibroblast specialization has clear implications for the development of effective induction and maintenance therapies for patients with these clinically distinct diseases.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Alexander M. S. Barron
- Inflammation & Immunology Research Unit, Pfizer, Inc., Cambridge, Massachusetts, 02139, USA
| | - Thomas Fabre
- Inflammation & Immunology Research Unit, Pfizer, Inc., Cambridge, Massachusetts, 02139, USA
| | - Saurav De
- Inflammation & Immunology Research Unit, Pfizer, Inc., Cambridge, Massachusetts, 02139, USA
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Fabre T, Barron AMS, Christensen SM, Asano S, Bound K, Lech MP, Wadsworth MH, Chen X, Wang C, Wang J, McMahon J, Schlerman F, White A, Kravarik KM, Fisher AJ, Borthwick LA, Hart KM, Henderson NC, Wynn TA, Dower K. Identification of a broadly fibrogenic macrophage subset induced by type 3 inflammation. Sci Immunol 2023; 8:eadd8945. [PMID: 37027478 DOI: 10.1126/sciimmunol.add8945] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 24.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/09/2023]
Abstract
Macrophages are central orchestrators of the tissue response to injury, with distinct macrophage activation states playing key roles in fibrosis progression and resolution. Identifying key macrophage populations found in human fibrotic tissues could lead to new treatments for fibrosis. Here, we used human liver and lung single-cell RNA sequencing datasets to identify a subset of CD9+TREM2+ macrophages that express SPP1, GPNMB, FABP5, and CD63. In both human and murine hepatic and pulmonary fibrosis, these macrophages were enriched at the outside edges of scarring and adjacent to activated mesenchymal cells. Neutrophils expressing MMP9, which participates in the activation of TGF-β1, and the type 3 cytokines GM-CSF and IL-17A coclustered with these macrophages. In vitro, GM-CSF, IL-17A, and TGF-β1 drive the differentiation of human monocytes into macrophages expressing scar-associated markers. Such differentiated cells could degrade collagen IV but not collagen I and promote TGF-β1-induced collagen I deposition by activated mesenchymal cells. In murine models blocking GM-CSF, IL-17A or TGF-β1 reduced scar-associated macrophage expansion and hepatic or pulmonary fibrosis. Our work identifies a highly specific macrophage population to which we assign a profibrotic role across species and tissues. It further provides a strategy for unbiased discovery, triage, and preclinical validation of therapeutic targets based on this fibrogenic macrophage population.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | - Ju Wang
- Pfizer Inc., Cambridge, MA, USA
| | | | | | | | | | - Andrew J Fisher
- Translational and Clinical Research Institute, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK
| | - Lee A Borthwick
- Newcastle Fibrosis Research Group, Biosciences Institute, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK
| | | | - Neil C Henderson
- MRC Human Genetics Unit, Institute of Genetics and Cancer, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
- Centre for Inflammation Research, the Queen's Medical Research Institute, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
| | | | | |
Collapse
|
3
|
Skaug B, Khanna D, Swindell WR, Hinchcliff ME, Frech TM, Steen VD, Hant FN, Gordon JK, Shah AA, Zhu L, Zheng WJ, Browning JL, Barron AMS, Wu M, Visvanathan S, Baum P, Franks JM, Whitfield ML, Shanmugam VK, Domsic RT, Castelino FV, Bernstein EJ, Wareing N, Lyons MA, Ying J, Charles J, Mayes MD, Assassi S. Global skin gene expression analysis of early diffuse cutaneous systemic sclerosis shows a prominent innate and adaptive inflammatory profile. Ann Rheum Dis 2019; 79:379-386. [PMID: 31767698 DOI: 10.1136/annrheumdis-2019-215894] [Citation(s) in RCA: 85] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/14/2019] [Revised: 11/07/2019] [Accepted: 11/07/2019] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES Determine global skin transcriptome patterns of early diffuse systemic sclerosis (SSc) and how they differ from later disease. METHODS Skin biopsy RNA from 48 patients in the Prospective Registry for Early Systemic Sclerosis (PRESS) cohort (mean disease duration 1.3 years) and 33 matched healthy controls was examined by next-generation RNA sequencing. Data were analysed for cell type-specific signatures and compared with similarly obtained data from 55 previously biopsied patients in Genetics versus Environment in Scleroderma Outcomes Study cohort with longer disease duration (mean 7.4 years) and their matched controls. Correlations with histological features and clinical course were also evaluated. RESULTS SSc patients in PRESS had a high prevalence of M2 (96%) and M1 (94%) macrophage and CD8 T cell (65%), CD4 T cell (60%) and B cell (69%) signatures. Immunohistochemical staining of immune cell markers correlated with the gene expression-based immune cell signatures. The prevalence of immune cell signatures in early diffuse SSc patients was higher than in patients with longer disease duration. In the multivariable model, adaptive immune cell signatures were significantly associated with shorter disease duration, while fibroblast and macrophage cell type signatures were associated with higher modified Rodnan Skin Score (mRSS). Immune cell signatures also correlated with skin thickness progression rate prior to biopsy, but did not predict subsequent mRSS progression. CONCLUSIONS Skin in early diffuse SSc has prominent innate and adaptive immune cell signatures. As a prominently affected end organ, these signatures reflect the preceding rate of disease progression. These findings could have implications in understanding SSc pathogenesis and clinical trial design.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Brian Skaug
- Division of Rheumatology and Clinical Immunogenetics, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, Texas, USA
| | - Dinesh Khanna
- Scleroderma Program, Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Rheumatology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA
| | - William R Swindell
- Ohio University Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine, Athens, Ohio, USA.,Department of Internal Medicine, The Jewish Hospital, Cincinnati, Ohio, USA
| | - Monique E Hinchcliff
- Department of Medicine, Section of Allergy, Rheumatology, and Immunology, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, USA
| | - Tracy M Frech
- Division of Rheumatology, Department of Internal Medicine, University of Utah and Salt Lake Regional Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Salt Lake City, Utah, USA
| | - Virginia D Steen
- Division of Rheumatology, Department of Medicine, MedStar Georgetown University Hospital, Washington, DC, USA
| | - Faye N Hant
- Division of Rheumatology and Immunology, Department of Medicine, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, South Carolina, USA
| | - Jessica K Gordon
- Department of Rheumatology, Hospital for Special Surgery, New York City, New York, USA
| | - Ami A Shah
- Division of Rheumatology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Lisha Zhu
- School of Biomedical Informatics, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, Texas, USA
| | - W Jim Zheng
- School of Biomedical Informatics, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, Texas, USA
| | - Jeffrey L Browning
- Department of Microbiology, Section of Rheumatology, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Alexander M S Barron
- Department of Microbiology, Section of Rheumatology, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Minghua Wu
- Division of Rheumatology and Clinical Immunogenetics, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, Texas, USA
| | - Sudha Visvanathan
- Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals Inc, Ridgefield, Connecticut, USA
| | - Patrick Baum
- Boehringer Ingelheim International GmbH, Biberach, Germany
| | - Jennifer M Franks
- Department of Biomedical Data Science, Dartmouth College Geisel School of Medicine, Lebanon, New Hampshire, USA.,Department of Molecular and Systems Biology, Dartmouth College Geisel School of Medicine, Hanover, New Hampshire, USA
| | - Michael L Whitfield
- Department of Biomedical Data Science, Dartmouth College Geisel School of Medicine, Lebanon, New Hampshire, USA.,Department of Molecular and Systems Biology, Dartmouth College Geisel School of Medicine, Hanover, New Hampshire, USA
| | - Victoria K Shanmugam
- Division of Rheumatology, George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences, Washington, DC, USA
| | - Robyn T Domsic
- Division of Rheumatology and Clinical Immunology, Department of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Flavia V Castelino
- Division of Rheumatology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Elana J Bernstein
- Division of Rheumatology, Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons, New York City, New York, USA
| | - Nancy Wareing
- Division of Rheumatology and Clinical Immunogenetics, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, Texas, USA
| | - Marka A Lyons
- Division of Rheumatology and Clinical Immunogenetics, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, Texas, USA
| | - Jun Ying
- Division of Rheumatology and Clinical Immunogenetics, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, Texas, USA
| | - Julio Charles
- Division of Rheumatology and Clinical Immunogenetics, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, Texas, USA
| | - Maureen D Mayes
- Division of Rheumatology and Clinical Immunogenetics, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, Texas, USA
| | - Shervin Assassi
- Division of Rheumatology and Clinical Immunogenetics, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, Texas, USA
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Barron AMS, Mantero JC, Ho JD, Nazari B, Horback KL, Bhawan J, Lafyatis R, Lam C, Browning JL. Perivascular Adventitial Fibroblast Specialization Accompanies T Cell Retention in the Inflamed Human Dermis. J Immunol 2018; 202:56-68. [PMID: 30510068 DOI: 10.4049/jimmunol.1801209] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2018] [Accepted: 10/29/2018] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Perivascular accumulation of lymphocytes can be a prominent histopathologic feature of various human inflammatory skin diseases. Select examples include systemic sclerosis, spongiotic dermatitis, and cutaneous lupus. Although a large body of work has described various aspects of the endothelial and vascular smooth muscle layers in these diseases, the outer adventitial compartment is poorly explored. The goal of the current study was to characterize perivascular adventitial fibroblast states in inflammatory human skin diseases and relate these states to perivascular lymphocyte accumulation. In normal skin, adventitial fibroblasts are distinguished by CD90 expression, and dense perivascular lymphocytic infiltrates are uncommon. In systemic sclerosis, this compartment expands, but lymphocyte infiltrates remain sparse. In contrast, perivascular adventitial fibroblast expression of VCAM1 is upregulated in spongiotic dermatitis and lupus and is associated with a dense perivascular T cell infiltrate. VCAM1 expression marks transitioned fibroblasts that show some resemblance to the reticular stromal cells in secondary lymphoid organs. Expanded adventitial compartments with perivascular infiltrates similar to the human settings were not seen in the inflamed murine dermis. This species difference may hinder the dissection of aspects of perivascular adventitial pathology. The altered perivascular adventitial compartment and its associated reticular network form a niche for lymphocytes and appear to be fundamental in the development of an inflammatory pattern.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Alexander M S Barron
- Department of Microbiology, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, MA 02118
| | - Julio C Mantero
- Department of Microbiology, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, MA 02118
| | - Jonathan D Ho
- Department of Dermatology, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, MA 02118
| | - Banafsheh Nazari
- Section of Rheumatology, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, MA 02118
| | - Katharine L Horback
- Department of Pathology, Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115; and
| | - Jag Bhawan
- Department of Dermatology, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, MA 02118
| | - Robert Lafyatis
- Section of Rheumatology, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, MA 02118.,Division of Rheumatology and Clinical Immunology, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Pittsburgh, PA 15213
| | - Christina Lam
- Department of Dermatology, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, MA 02118
| | - Jeffrey L Browning
- Department of Microbiology, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, MA 02118; .,Section of Rheumatology, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, MA 02118
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Nazari B, Rice LM, Stifano G, Barron AMS, Wang YM, Korndorf T, Lee J, Bhawan J, Lafyatis R, Browning JL. Altered Dermal Fibroblasts in Systemic Sclerosis Display Podoplanin and CD90. Am J Pathol 2016; 186:2650-64. [PMID: 27565038 DOI: 10.1016/j.ajpath.2016.06.020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/24/2015] [Revised: 05/02/2016] [Accepted: 06/03/2016] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
Tissue injury triggers the activation and differentiation of multiple cell types to minimize damage and initiate repair processes. In systemic sclerosis, these repair processes appear to run unchecked, leading to aberrant remodeling and fibrosis of the skin and multiple internal organs, yet the fundamental pathological defect remains unknown. We describe herein a transition wherein the abundant CD34(+) dermal fibroblasts present in healthy human skin disappear in the skin of systemic sclerosis patients, and CD34(-), podoplanin(+), and CD90(+) fibroblasts appear. This transition is limited to the upper dermis in several inflammatory skin diseases, yet in systemic sclerosis, it can occur in all regions of the dermis. In vitro, primary dermal fibroblasts readily express podoplanin in response to the inflammatory stimuli tumor necrosis factor and IL-1β. Furthermore, we show that on acute skin injury in both human and murine settings, this transition occurs quickly, consistent with a response to inflammatory signaling. Transitioned fibroblasts partially resemble the cells that form the reticular networks in organized lymphoid tissues, potentially linking two areas of fibroblast research. These results allow for the visualization and quantification of a basic stage of fibroblast differentiation in inflammatory and fibrotic diseases in the skin.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Banafsheh Nazari
- Section of Rheumatology, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Lisa M Rice
- Section of Rheumatology, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Giuseppina Stifano
- Section of Rheumatology, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Alexander M S Barron
- Section of Rheumatology, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts; Department of Microbiology, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Yu Mei Wang
- Section of Rheumatology, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Tess Korndorf
- Section of Rheumatology, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Jungeun Lee
- Department of Dermatology, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Jag Bhawan
- Department of Dermatology, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Robert Lafyatis
- Section of Rheumatology, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts; Division of Rheumatology and Clinical Immunology, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
| | - Jeffrey L Browning
- Section of Rheumatology, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts; Department of Microbiology, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts.
| |
Collapse
|