Epigenetic regulator UHRF1 suppressively organize multiple pathogenesis in rheumatoid arthritis [MBD-seq]
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ABSTRACT: Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is characterized by chronic synovial inflammation with aberrant epigenetic alterations, leading joint destruction. However, epigenetic regulatory mechanisms underlying RA pathogenesis remain largely unknown. Here we showed that Ubiquitin-like containing PHD and RING finger domains 1 (known as UHRF1) is a central epigenetic regulator to suppressively orchestrate the expression of multiple exacerbation factors in RA. We found remarkable up-regulation of Uhrf1, which is known as a key molecular for maintenance of DNA methylation during cell division 1-3, in murine arthritis tissue, especially synovial fibroblasts (SF). SF-specific Uhrf1 conditional knockout mice indicated more severe arthritic phenotypes with apoptosis resistant SF. Integrative analysis between transcriptome and methylome showed that expression of several cytokines including Ccl20 were up-regulated in Uhrf1-deficient SF. In RA patients, disease activity scores, CCL20 expression, Th17 accumulation, apoptosis resistance were negatively correlated with UHRF1 expression in synovium. Finally, stabilization of UHRF1 by administration of Ryuvidine improved pathogenesis of arthritis model mice. Our results demonstrated that UHRF1 expressed in SF contributes to suppressively orchestrate expression of genes of multiple exacerbating factors under RA progression. Targeting UHRF1 could provide a novel therapeutic strategy for RA.
Project description:Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is characterized by chronic synovial inflammation with aberrant epigenetic alterations, leading joint destruction. However, epigenetic regulatory mechanisms underlying RA pathogenesis remain largely unknown. Here we showed that Ubiquitin-like containing PHD and RING finger domains 1 (known as UHRF1) is a central epigenetic regulator to suppressively orchestrate the expression of multiple exacerbation factors in RA. We found remarkable up-regulation of Uhrf1, which is known as a key molecular for maintenance of DNA methylation during cell division 1-3, in murine arthritis tissue, especially synovial fibroblasts (SF). SF-specific Uhrf1 conditional knockout mice indicated more severe arthritic phenotypes with apoptosis resistant SF. Integrative analysis between transcriptome and methylome showed that expression of several cytokines including Ccl20 were up-regulated in Uhrf1-deficient SF. In RA patients, disease activity scores, CCL20 expression, Th17 accumulation, apoptosis resistance were negatively correlated with UHRF1 expression in synovium. Finally, stabilization of UHRF1 by administration of Ryuvidine improved pathogenesis of arthritis model mice. Our results demonstrated that UHRF1 expressed in SF contributes to suppressively orchestrate expression of genes of multiple exacerbating factors under RA progression. Targeting UHRF1 could provide a novel therapeutic strategy for RA.
Project description:Various forms of chronic arthritis like osteoarthritis (OA) or rheumatoid arthritis (RA) are major causes of disability and represent a global burden on health care systems. Inter- and intraindividual differences in the phenotype of arthritis often prevent early diagnosis and effective treatment. Previously, we suggested that site-specific differences in the joint stroma influence the development and the outcome of arthritis and showed that the long non-coding RNA HOTAIR is expressed exclusively in synovial fibroblasts (SF) of lower joints. Here, we further analysed the function of HOTAIR in SF and in arthritis development. We show that joint-specific HOTAIR expression in SF is stronlgy imprinted in the chromatin landscape of SF by epigenetic mechanisms. Nevertheless, HOTAIR expression in knee SF was downregulated by inflammatory cytokines. Accordingly, HOTAIR was more expressed in OA tissues than in RA tissues. Downregulation of HOTAIR regulated relevant arthritis pathways by epigenetic and transcriptional mechanisms and modified the migratory function of SF, decreased SF mediated osteoclastogenesis, and increased the attraction of B cells by SF. We propose that HOTAIR downregulation in inflammation epigenetically regulates important pathways and functions in SF, and thus modulates the phenotype of arthritis in lower extremity joints.
Project description:Characterize active synovial fluid (SF) serine proteinases in psoriatic arthritis (PsA) in comparison to osteoarthritis (OA) and rheumatoid arthritis (RA)
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.
Project description:The aim of this study was to compare gene expression between two pathological groups of human synovial fibroblasts (SF) from rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and osteoarthritis (OA) synovial tissues with normal SF from healthy individuals (HSF). We used microarray expression profiling in SF cultured from OA, RA and normal synovial tissues. We found larger numbers of transcripts with differential expression in OASF compared to the other groups than in RASF compared to HSF. This data demonstrate that cultured OASF display a more robust transcriptomic profile than RASF when compared to HSF. Synovial fibroblasts were obtained from 9 patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RASF), 11 sex and age matched adult healthy donors (HSF) and 11 sex and age matched patients with OA (OASF). SF were collected under similar subconfluent conditions 24h after serum addition. 31 microarray data were used for determine the statistical significance (p value) of the differences in gene expression.
Project description:The aim of this study was to compare gene expression between two pathological groups of human synovial fibroblasts (SF) from rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and osteoarthritis (OA) synovial tissues with normal SF from healthy individuals (HSF). We used microarray expression profiling in SF cultured from OA, RA and normal synovial tissues. We found larger numbers of transcripts with differential expression in OASF compared to the other groups than in RASF compared to HSF. This data demonstrate that cultured OASF display a more robust transcriptomic profile than RASF when compared to HSF.
Project description:Previously, extracellular vesicles (EVs) from rheumatoid arthritis (RA) synovial fluid (SF) have been reported to stimulate the release of pro-inflammatory mediators in recipient cells. However, mechanistic details are unclear and contaminants in EV enrichments might have compromised previous observations. We recently developed a novel, size exclusion chromatography (SEC)-based method of EV isolation capable of high-quality enrichments from human synovial fluid. Here, we employed this method in combination with high resolution mass spectrometry to accurately characterise the SF EV proteome and investigate contributions of SF EVs to inflammatory processes in RA.
Project description:Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is characterized by synovial hyperplasia and cartilage/bone destruction. RA affects the synovial joints, the synovial lining and consequently the permeability of the synovium. As the latter is of central relevance for the distribution of systemically delivered therapeutics into synovial fluid (SF), we here assessed the protein composition of paired plasma and SF of patients diagnosed with RA at three distinct levels of depth using mass spectrometric approaches: the “total” proteome, the “total” IgG1 antibody repertoire and the RA-specific ACPA IgG1 autoantibody repertoire. The SF proteome was dominated by >150 plasma proteins, and we additionally detected several cartilage- and neutrophil-derived proteins of lower abundance. Strikingly, the plasma proteins were not only qualitatively reflected in SF but also quantitatively, independent of their size and/or other biochemical features. Also the synovial “total” IgG1 and autoreactive ACPA IgG1 repertoire highly resembled the IgG1 repertoires detected in plasma within the same patient. Our comprehensive multilayer data thus reveals that the proteome, including the dominant, most abundant (auto)antibody clones, present in SF of RA patients is a direct reflection of the proteome present in blood, spiked by the local (immune) processes within the RA joint. We thus conclude that proteins directly pass from blood into SF of these joints without substantial filtration bias. These findings thereby not only exemplify the use of in-depth multilayer proteome analyses to revisit basic concepts underlying RA pathology and to monitor the local (immune) processes destructive to cartilage, but also provide evidence indicating that (protein-based) therapeutics may equally enter SF of swollen joints and that pharmacokinetic analyses of such therapeutics in blood are directly relevant to the synovial compartment.
Project description:Synovial fibroblasts (SF) are the main mesenchymal cell type constitutive in human synovial tissue. SF contribute to the homeostasis of normal joints by synthesizing extracellular matrix components and secreting the specific components of synovial fluid. SF are essential players in RA pathophysiology, they are the primary source of IL6 in the RA synovium contributing to perpetuate the inflammation in the joint. We used microarrays analysis to characterize the effector pro-inflammatory response of SF to TNFα and IL6/sIL6R signaling.
Project description:Despite osteoarthritis (OA) and rheumatoid arthritis (RA) being typically age-related, their underlying etiologies are markedly different. We used 1H nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy to identify differences in metabolite profiles in low volumes of OA and RA synovial fluid (SF). SF was aspirated from knee joints of 10 OA and 14 RA patients. 100 μL SF was analyzed using a 700 MHz Avance IIIHD Bruker NMR spectrometer with a TCI cryoprobe. Spectra were analyzed by Chenomx, Bruker TopSpin and AMIX software. Statistical analysis was undertaken using Metaboanalyst. 50 metabolites were annotated, including amino acids, saccharides, nucleotides and soluble lipids. Discriminant analysis identified group separation between OA and RA cohorts, with 32 metabolites significantly different between OA and RA SF (false discovery rate (FDR) < 0.05). Metabolites of glycolysis and the tricarboxylic acid cycle were lower in RA compared to OA; these results concur with higher levels of inflammation, synovial proliferation and hypoxia found in RA compared to OA. Elevated taurine in OA may indicate increased subchondral bone sclerosis. We demonstrate that quantifiable differences in metabolite abundance can be measured in low volumes of SF by 1H NMR spectroscopy, which may be clinically useful to aid diagnosis and improve understanding of disease pathogenesis.