Progression to rheumatoid arthritis in at-risk individuals is defined by systemic inflammation and by T and B cell dysregulation.

ABSTRACT: Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is preceded by an at-risk stage of disease that can be marked by the presence of anticitrullinated protein antibodies (ACPAs) but the absence of clinically apparent synovitis (clinical RA). Preemptive intervention in at-risk individuals could prevent or delay future tissue damage; however, the immunobiology of this stage is unclear. Using integrative multiomics, we longitudinally profiled at-risk individuals, where one-third of participants developed clinical RA on study. We found evidence of systemic inflammation and signatures of activation in naïve T and B cells of at-risk individuals. During progression to clinical RA, proinflammatory skewing of atypical B cells and expansion of memory CD4 T cells with signatures of activation and B cell help were present with

SUBMITTER: He Z 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12767604 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature