Project description:Determine the comprehensive miRNA expression profile in RNA extracted from whole blood samples from healthy controls (CTRL), individuals positive to CCP antibodies >25UI/ml (CCP+), early rheumatoid arthritis (ERA) and established rheumatoid arthritis (CRA) according to the ACR/EULAR 2010 classification criteria. Several miRNAs were overexpressed on ERA patients. We selected 5 miRNAs (miR-361-5p, miR-23a-3p, miR-223-3p, miR-4634 and miR-128-3p) for its quantification on a bigger group of subjects by RT-qPCR and the results showed good concordance with microarray expression data.
Project description:Synovial biopsies of Rheumatoid Arthritis patients with active disease were obtained prior to anti-TNF therapy. Clinical response to anti-TNF treatment was measured 20 weeks later using the EULAR response criteria. Gene expression profiles of patients responding to anti-TNF therapy were compared to non-responders and several genes were found to be differentially expressed between both groups of Rheumatoid Arthritis patients.
Project description:Synovial biopsies of Rheumatoid Arthritis patients were obtained at week 20 of anti-TNF therapy. The clinical response to therapy was determined comparing the DAS28 at this time point with the baseline DAS28, using the EULAR response criteria. Gene expression profiles of patients responding to anti-TNF therapy were compared to non-responders and different genes, pathways and deconvoluted cell types were found to be differential between both groups of rheumatoid arthritis patients.
Project description:Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a complex and clinically heterogeneous autoimmune disease. Microarray analysis of 83 synovial samples provides insight into the expression-level differences between patients at the site of disease activity. Synovial samples from Rheumatoid Arthritis patients were obtained during joint resection and profiled using microarrays.
Project description:Our goal was to find correlations between gene expression patterns and impaired vascular pathophysiolgy in rheumatoid arthritis Patients with rheumatoid arthritis were recruited and venous blood samples were collected, then peripheral blood mononuclear cells were separated. After RNA isoltaion, we used Affymetrix PrimeView arrays to obtain whole gene expression data.
Project description:Rheumatoid factor are autoantibodies that are found in +/- two thirds of patients with rheumatoid arthritis, a chronic autoimmune disease characterized by inflamed, swollen joints. They consist of polyclonal antibodies that target the Fc part of IgG. The antibodies are not highly specific for rheumatoid arthritis and clinical assays to measure rheumatoid factor are poorly harmonized. We studied rheumatoid factor using a mass-spectrometry-based approach in seropositive, seronegative rheumatoid arthritis patients and in disease controls. Rheumatoid factor was captured on Fc coated microwell plates, isolated, digested into peptides and analyzed by liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry. Principal component analysis and sparse partial least squares discriminant analysis showed that peptides derived from seropositive rheumatoid arthritis patients clustered away from the controls. Mass spectrometry analysis revealed framework region-derived and variable region-derived peptides that were enriched in rheumatoid factor positive sera. However, mass spectrometry de novo sequencing failed to sequence the majority of unidentified peptides. Furthermore, mass spectrometry analysis revealed different rheumatoid factor isotypes. In addition to IgM, also IgA and IgG isotypes were observed. In conclusion, mass spectrometry is able to capture the complexity and isotypes of rheumatoid factor autoantibodies, but advances in de novo sequencing are needed to fully characterize the variable part of the antibodies.
Project description:To explore the biological connotation of eight syndromes of Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) from the syndrome-symptom association network, and the relationship between the clinical characteristics of various syndromes and their key network target genes and pathways, which may offer clinicians auxiliary tools for diagnosis and treatment of RA patients with various traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) syndromes and promoting the developments of TCM Syndrome Theory. We used microarrays to detail the biological connotation of five syndromes (D-H, N) of Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) and identified distinct classes of up-regulated and down-regulated genes during this process.
Project description:Objective. To analyse the pathogenesis of the diseases rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and spondyloarthritis (SpA) we investigated the protein composition in synovial fluid from the patients. Methods. Fifty-six synovial fluid (SF) were analysed with non-gel based proteomics from patients with RA (32) and SpA (24). Rheumatoid factor was measured in plasma, and cell-free DNA was measured in SF. Results. Two hundred proteins were quantified in the samples. The inflammatory proteins were more abundant in the RA group, specially proteins from neutrophil granulocytes. Cell-free DNA (cfDNA) in the SF was statistically associated with proteins that are known to form neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs). Plasma C-reactive protein (CRP), was correlated to other acute phase proteins in the SF. Minimal correlation was seen between acute phase proteins and proteins in NETs. Conclusions. The results show that in the synovial cavity in vivo neutrophils form NETs. This result sustains that neutrophils from RA patients are activated and are likely to undergo NETosis resulting in SF cfDNA specific of arthritis pathology with NETosis.