Molecular Characterization of Human Lymph Node Stromal Cells During the Earliest Phases of Rheumatoid Arthritis.

ABSTRACT: Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a progressive, destructive autoimmune arthritis. Break of tolerance and formation of autoantibodies occur years before arthritis. Adaptive immunity is initiated in lymphoid tissue where lymph node stromal cells (LNSCs) play a crucial role in shaping the immune response and maintaining peripheral tolerance. Here we performed the first epigenomic characterization of LNSCs during health and early RA, by analyzing their transcriptome and DNA methylome in LNSCs isolated from lymph node needle biopsies obtained from healthy controls (HC), autoantibody positive RA-risk individuals and patients with established RA. Of interest, LNSCs from RA-risk individuals and RA patients revealed a common significantly differential expressed gene signature compared with HC LNSCs. Pa

SUBMITTER: Karouzakis E 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6711342 | biostudies-literature | 2019

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature