Disease activity drives transcriptomic heterogeneity in early untreated rheumatoid synovitis.
Clément TriailleGaëlle TilmanTatiana SokolovaAxelle LoriotJoelle MarchandiseStéphanie De MontjoyeAdrien Nzeusseu ToukapLaurent Méric de BellefonCaroline BouzinChristine GalantPatrick DurezBernard R LauwerysNisha LimayePublished in: Annals of the rheumatic diseases (2023)
In this large series of early, untreated RA, we show that the synovial transcriptome closely mirrors clinical disease activity and correlates with synovial inflammation. Intriguingly, lower inflammation and disease activity are associated with higher ratios of M2:M1 macrophages, particularly striking in the synovial lining layer. This may point to a protective role for tissue resident macrophages in RA.