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Blomberg N, Kristyanto H, Verstappen M, Neppelenbroek S, Kampstra ASB, Van der Helm-van Mil A, Toes R, Scherer HU. POS0403 DYNAMIC CHANGES IN AUTOREACTIVE MEMORY B CELLS IN RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS: KEY TO UNDERSTANDING IMMUNOLOGICAL DISEASE ACTIVITY. Ann Rheum Dis 2022. [DOI: 10.1136/annrheumdis-2022-eular.4504] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/04/2022]
Abstract
BackgroundRheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients with autoantibodies against citrullinated antigens (ACPA) are characterized by poor chances to achieve sustained DMARD free remission. We have previously observed that autoreactive ACPA-expressing memory B cells (MBC) display an activated phenotype and frequently maintain this state of activation even in patients in clinical remission in whom joint inflammation is absent through treatment. Conceptually, these observations could reflect ongoing immunological activity. In fact, they indicate that most current therapeutic interventions do not induce immunological remission and could explain why disease frequently flares when treatment is stopped. ACPA-expressing MBC display the phenotype of recent germinal centre emigrants, actively proliferating (Ki-67 positive), expressing CD95 and co-stimulatory markers CD80 and CD86, and the signature cytokine IL-8.[1] Notably, in autoantibody-positive individuals with arthralgia that did not progress to inflammatory arthritis within 2 years, the autoreactive B cells were readily detectable in the circulation and proliferated but lacked, in most cases, the upregulation of CD80 seen at the onset of disease. Now, we studied these autoreactive B cells longitudinally in the ‘at-risk’ phase of clinically suspect arthralgia (CSA) and in a population of patients in sustained (>1 year) drug-free remission (SDFR).ObjectivesTo define dynamic changes of the ACPA-expressing B cell compartment throughout clinical disease stages with the aim to evaluate this response as a possibly predictive biomarker of immunological disease activity.MethodsACPA-expressing MBC were identified by flow cytometry in peripheral blood of RA patients with chronic disease or at disease-onset (treatment-naïve), in ACPA-positive CSA patients ‘at-risk’ for RA, and in patients in SDFR. B cells were characterized by a combination of markers to classify B cell subpopulations and activation- and germinal centre related markers. Tetanus-toxoid-specific B cells were analysed in the same individuals as antigen-specific comparators.ResultsIn patients in SDFR, significantly less autoreactive B cells expressed CD80 compared to active disease, while they persistently showed signs of proliferation, similar to the phenotype observed in CSA patients that did not progress to RA. ACPA-specific plasmablasts (defined as CD20-CD27hi) were practically absent in SDFR and CSA non-progressors, while they were readily detectable in patients with RA at disease onset, during treatment, and in CSA-individuals that later progressed to RA. Notably, two arthralgia patients that developed RA within one year showed high CD80 expression in the autoreactive MBC compartment already in the ‘at-risk’ phase, whereas patients that so far did not progress to RA during the time of follow-up, showed less CD80-positive autoreactive MBC.ConclusionThe phenotype of autoreactive B cells is dynamic in different disease phases of RA. By studying extremes of clinical phenotypes (‘at-risk’ phase, disease onset, SDFR), we found evidence for dynamic expression of CD80 by ACPA-expressing MBC in relation to clinical disease stage. Intriguingly, CD80-positive B cells, but not CD80-negative B cells, have been shown to be able to differentiate into antibody secreting cells in mice.[2] Our finding that plasmablasts were practically absent in ACPA-positive arthralgia patients that did not progress to RA and in SDFR would fit with this notion and suggests that in SDFR autoreactive MBC lack, although actively proliferating, triggers that induce CD80 upregulation, differentiation to plasmablasts and, possibly, their active participation in processes causing joint inflammation. Based on this observation, it is possible that induction of this CD80lo phenotype in autoreactive MBC may be an important step towards achieving immunological remission, a conceptual proxy for cure.References[1]H. Kristyanto et al., Sci Transl Med12, (2020).[2]G. V. Zuccarino-Catania et al., Nat Immunol15, 631-637 (2014).Disclosure of InterestsNone declared.
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Blomberg N, Kristyanto H, Huizinga T, Toes R, Scherer HU. AB0022 AUTOREACTIVE B CELLS IN RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS DISPLAY AN ACTIVATED PHENOTYPE OF RECENT ANTIGEN EXPOSURE. Ann Rheum Dis 2021. [DOI: 10.1136/annrheumdis-2021-eular.2050] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
Abstract
Background:Rheumatoid arthritis, in particular ACPA+ RA, is characterized by frequent disease flares and poor chances to achieve DMARD-free sustained remission. Recently, we have shown that ACPA-expressing memory B cells (MBC) remain in a persistently activated state throughout disease, even in patients in DMARD-induced clinical remission.(1) The reasons why the ACPA B cell response is continuously activated are unknown, as well as why the response does not revert to a resting, ‘quiescent’ state. We hypothesized that continuous antigen exposure in germinal centres drives ACPA B cell activation, leading to a ‘recent germinal centre emigrant’ phenotype of these cells in the circulation.Objectives:To understand whether the activated phenotype of ACPA-expressing B cells could be induced by recent antigen exposure, to thereby discern the processes of immune activation that remain active in patients even in clinical remission and to argue whether these processes could be targets for therapeutic intervention.Methods:ACPA-expressing B cells were identified in peripheral blood of RA patients by flow cytometry during different stages of disease and characterized by a panel of activation- and germinal centre related markers (CD80, CD86, CD32, CD95, Ki-67). In addition, three healthy donors received a TT booster vaccination. TT-specific MBC were identified in blood at different timepoints (before vaccination and up to 22 weeks after vaccination) and analysed phenotypically over time.Results:The majority of ACPA-expressing B cells strongly expressed CD95 and the co-stimulatory marker CD80. A part was also positive for the proliferation marker Ki-67 (on average 30%), and most cells downregulated the inhibitory marker CD32. TT-specific MBC adopted a comparable phenotype after booster vaccination, but most markers returned to the pre-vaccination expression level gradually over time. These effects were antigen-dependent because the phenotype of TT-negative B cells remained unchanged. The phenotypic composition of the proliferating ACPA-positive B cell pool most closely corresponded to a stimulation history of 1-2 weeks after antigen exposure. Notably, none of the Ki-67 negative ACPA-specific MBC showed phenotypic quiescence, indicating either a short life-time (in circulation) after antigen encounter or persistent additional factors of activation.Figure 1.Ki-67 expression on ACPA-specific MBC in RA (A) and on TT-specific MBC in 3 healthy donors before and after booster vaccination (B).Conclusion:ACPA-expressing MBC phenotypically resemble TT-specific MBC after recent (1-2 weeks) booster vaccination, reflecting the phenotype of recent germinal centre emigrants, and remain activated, whereas TT-specific MBC lose this marker profile over time. These observations suggest that ACPA-expressing MBC either home to tissue or survive shortly in the circulation, or that additional factors drive or program these cells to persistent activation. Transcriptomic profiling and analysis of the homing marker profile may help to answer these questions. Furthermore, it will be important to understand the association of persistent activation of ACPA-expressing B cells in clinical remission and the risk for disease flares upon treatment discontinuation.References:[1]Kristyanto H, Blomberg NJ, Slot LM, van der Voort EIH, Kerkman PF, Bakker A, et al. Persistently activated, proliferative memory autoreactive B cells promote inflammation in rheumatoid arthritis. Sci Transl Med. 2020;12(570).Disclosure of Interests:Nienke Blomberg: None declared, Hendy Kristyanto: None declared, Thomas Huizinga Grant/research support from: Gilead, Rene Toes: None declared, Hans Ulrich Scherer Grant/research support from: Pfizer, Lilly, Sanofi, BMS
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Aarestrup FM, Albeyatti A, Armitage WJ, Auffray C, Augello L, Balling R, Benhabiles N, Bertolini G, Bjaalie JG, Black M, Blomberg N, Bogaert P, Bubak M, Claerhout B, Clarke L, De Meulder B, D'Errico G, Di Meglio A, Forgo N, Gans-Combe C, Gray AE, Gut I, Gyllenberg A, Hemmrich-Stanisak G, Hjorth L, Ioannidis Y, Jarmalaite S, Kel A, Kherif F, Korbel JO, Larue C, Laszlo M, Maas A, Magalhaes L, Manneh-Vangramberen I, Morley-Fletcher E, Ohmann C, Oksvold P, Oxtoby NP, Perseil I, Pezoulas V, Riess O, Riper H, Roca J, Rosenstiel P, Sabatier P, Sanz F, Tayeb M, Thomassen G, Van Bussel J, Van den Bulcke M, Van Oyen H. Towards a European health research and innovation cloud (HRIC). Genome Med 2020; 12:18. [PMID: 32075696 PMCID: PMC7029532 DOI: 10.1186/s13073-020-0713-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/06/2019] [Accepted: 01/29/2020] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
The European Union (EU) initiative on the Digital Transformation of Health and Care (Digicare) aims to provide the conditions necessary for building a secure, flexible, and decentralized digital health infrastructure. Creating a European Health Research and Innovation Cloud (HRIC) within this environment should enable data sharing and analysis for health research across the EU, in compliance with data protection legislation while preserving the full trust of the participants. Such a HRIC should learn from and build on existing data infrastructures, integrate best practices, and focus on the concrete needs of the community in terms of technologies, governance, management, regulation, and ethics requirements. Here, we describe the vision and expected benefits of digital data sharing in health research activities and present a roadmap that fosters the opportunities while answering the challenges of implementing a HRIC. For this, we put forward five specific recommendations and action points to ensure that a European HRIC: i) is built on established standards and guidelines, providing cloud technologies through an open and decentralized infrastructure; ii) is developed and certified to the highest standards of interoperability and data security that can be trusted by all stakeholders; iii) is supported by a robust ethical and legal framework that is compliant with the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR); iv) establishes a proper environment for the training of new generations of data and medical scientists; and v) stimulates research and innovation in transnational collaborations through public and private initiatives and partnerships funded by the EU through Horizon 2020 and Horizon Europe.
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Affiliation(s)
- F M Aarestrup
- Technical University of Denmark, Kongens Lyngby, Denmark
| | - A Albeyatti
- Medicalchain, York Road, London, SQ1 7NQ, UK.,National Health Service, London, UK
| | - W J Armitage
- Translation Health Sciences, Bristol Medical School, Bristol, BS81UD, UK
| | - C Auffray
- European Institute for Systems Biology and Medicine (EISBM), Vourles, France.
| | - L Augello
- Regional Agency for Innovation & Procurement (ARIA), Welfare Services Division, Lombardy, Milan, Italy
| | - R Balling
- Luxembourg Centre for Systems Biomedicine, Campus Belval, University of Luxembourg, Luxembourg City, Luxembourg
| | - N Benhabiles
- CEA, French Atomic Energy and Alternative Energy Commission, Direction de la Recherche Fondamentale, Université Paris-Saclay, F-91191, Gif-sur-Yvette, France.
| | - G Bertolini
- Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri IRCCS, Bergamo, Italy
| | - J G Bjaalie
- Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
| | - M Black
- Ulster University, Belfast, BT15 1ED, UK
| | - N Blomberg
- ELIXIR, Welcome Genome Campus, Hinxton, Cambridge, CB10 1SD, UK.
| | - P Bogaert
- Sciensano, Brussels, Belgium and Tilburg University, Tilburg, The Netherlands
| | - M Bubak
- Department of Computer Science and Academic Computing Center Cyfronet, Akademia Gornizco Hutnizca University of Science and Technology, Krakow, Poland
| | | | - L Clarke
- European Molecular Biology Laboratory, European Bioinformatics Institute, Wellcome Genome Campus, Hinxton, Cambridge, CB10 1SD, UK
| | - B De Meulder
- European Institute for Systems Biology and Medicine (EISBM), Vourles, France
| | - G D'Errico
- Fondazione Toscana Life Sciences, 53100, Siena, Italy
| | - A Di Meglio
- CERN, European Organization for Nuclear Research, Meyrin, Switzerland
| | - N Forgo
- University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - C Gans-Combe
- INSEEC School of Business & Economics, Paris, France
| | - A E Gray
- PwC, Dronning Eufemiasgate, N-0191, Oslo, Norway
| | - I Gut
- Center for Genomic Regulations, Barcelona, Spain
| | - A Gyllenberg
- Neuroimmunology Unit, The Karolinska Neuroimmunology & Multiple Sclerosis Centre, Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - G Hemmrich-Stanisak
- Institute of Clinical Molecular Biology, Kiel University and University Hospital Schleswig-Holstein, Campus Kiel, Kiel, Germany
| | - L Hjorth
- Department of Clinical Sciences, Pediatrics, Lund University, Skåne University Hospital, Lund, Sweden
| | - Y Ioannidis
- Athena Research & Innovation Center and University of Athens, Athens, Greece
| | | | - A Kel
- geneXplain GmbH, Wolfenbüttel, Germany
| | - F Kherif
- Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Vaudois, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - J O Korbel
- European Molecular Biology Laboratory, Genome Biology Unit, Heidelberg, Germany.
| | - C Larue
- Integrated Biobank of Luxembourg, Rue Louis Rech, L-3555, Dudelange, Luxembourg
| | | | - A Maas
- Antwerp University Hospital and University of Antwerp, Edegem, Belgium
| | - L Magalhaes
- Clinerion Ltd, Elisabethenanlage, 4051, Basel, Switzerland
| | - I Manneh-Vangramberen
- European Cancer Patient Coalition, Rue de Montoyer/Montoyerstraat, B-1000, Brussels, Belgium
| | - E Morley-Fletcher
- Lynkeus, Via Livenza, 00198, Rome, Italy.,Public Policy Consultant, Rome, Italy
| | - C Ohmann
- European Clinical Research Infrastructure Network, Heinrich-Heine-Universität, Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - P Oksvold
- Science for Life Laboratory, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - N P Oxtoby
- Centre for Medical Image Computing, Department of Computer Science, University College London, London, UK
| | - I Perseil
- Information Technology Department, Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale, Paris, France
| | - V Pezoulas
- Unit of Medical Technology and Intelligent Information Systems, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Ioannina, Ioannina, Greece
| | - O Riess
- Institute of Medical Genetics and Applied Genomics, Rare Disease Center, Tübingen, Germany
| | - H Riper
- Section Clinical, Neuro and Developmental Psychology, Department of Behavioural and Movement Sciences, Vrije Universiteit, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - J Roca
- Hospital Clínic de Barcelona, IDIBAPS, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - P Rosenstiel
- Institute of Clinical Molecular Biology, Kiel University and University Hospital Schleswig-Holstein, Campus Kiel, Kiel, Germany
| | - P Sabatier
- French National Centre for Scientific Research, Grenoble, France
| | - F Sanz
- Hospital del Mar Medical Research Institute (IMIM), Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Barcelona, Spain
| | - M Tayeb
- Medicalchain, York Road, London, SQ1 7NQ, UK.,National Health Service, London, UK
| | | | - J Van Bussel
- Scientific Institute of Public Health, Brussels, Belgium
| | | | - H Van Oyen
- Department of Computer Science and Academic Computing Center Cyfronet, Akademia Gornizco Hutnizca University of Science and Technology, Krakow, Poland.,Sciensano, Juliette Wystmanstraat, 1050, Brussels, Belgium
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