Defining inflammatory cell states in rheumatoid arthritis joint synovial tissues by integrating single-cell transcriptomics and mass cytometry.
| Authors | |
| Abstract | To define the cell populations that drive joint inflammation in rheumatoid arthritis (RA), we applied single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq), mass cytometry, bulk RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) and flow cytometry to T cells, B cells, monocytes, and fibroblasts from 51 samples of synovial tissue from patients with RA or osteoarthritis (OA). Utilizing an integrated strategy based on canonical correlation analysis of 5,265 scRNA-seq profiles, we identified 18 unique cell populations. Combining mass cytometry and transcriptomics revealed cell states expanded in RA synovia: THY1(CD90)HLA-DRA sublining fibroblasts, IL1B pro-inflammatory monocytes, ITGAXTBX21 autoimmune-associated B cells and PDCD1 peripheral helper T (T) cells and follicular helper T (T) cells. We defined distinct subsets of CD8 T cells characterized by GZMK, GZMB, and GNLY phenotypes. We mapped inflammatory mediators to their source cell populations; for example, we attributed IL6 expression to THY1HLA-DRA fibroblasts and IL1B production to pro-inflammatory monocytes. These populations are potentially key mediators of RA pathogenesis. |
| Year of Publication | 2019
|
| Journal | Nat Immunol
|
| Date Published | 2019 May 06
|
| ISSN | 1529-2916
|
| DOI | 10.1038/s41590-019-0378-1
|
| PubMed ID | 31061532
|
| Links |