A single cell atlas of frozen shoulder capsule identifies features associated with inflammatory fibrosis resolution.
Michael T H NgRowie BorstHamez GacaferiSarah DavidsonJessica E AckermanPeter A JohnsonCaio C MachadoIan R ReekieMoustafa AttarDylan WindellMariola Kurowska-StolarskaLucy MacDonaldStefano AliverniniMicon GarvillesKathrin JansenAnanya BhallaAngela LeeJames E G CharlesworthRajat ChowdhuryPaul KlenermanKate PowellCarl-Philipp Hacksteinnull nullDominic FurnissJonathan L ReesDerek W GilroyMark C ColesAndrew J CarrStephen N SansomChristopher Dominic BuckleyStephanie Georgina DakinPublished in: Nature communications (2024)
Frozen shoulder is a spontaneously self-resolving chronic inflammatory fibrotic human disease, which distinguishes the condition from most fibrotic diseases that are progressive and irreversible. Using single-cell analysis, we identify pro-inflammatory MERTK low CD48 + macrophages and MERTK + LYVE1 + MRC1+ macrophages enriched for negative regulators of inflammation which co-exist in frozen shoulder capsule tissues. Micro-cultures of patient-derived cells identify integrin-mediated cell-matrix interactions between MERTK+ macrophages and pro-resolving DKK3+ and POSTN+ fibroblasts, suggesting that matrix remodelling plays a role in frozen shoulder resolution. Cross-tissue analysis reveals a shared gene expression cassette between shoulder capsule MERTK+ macrophages and a respective population enriched in synovial tissues of rheumatoid arthritis patients in disease remission, supporting the concept that MERTK+ macrophages mediate resolution of inflammation and fibrosis. Single-cell transcriptomic profiling and spatial analysis of human foetal shoulder tissues identify MERTK + LYVE1 + MRC1+ macrophages and DKK3+ and POSTN+ fibroblast populations analogous to those in frozen shoulder, suggesting that the template to resolve fibrosis is established during shoulder development. Crosstalk between MerTK+ macrophages and pro-resolving DKK3+ and POSTN+ fibroblasts could facilitate resolution of frozen shoulder, providing a basis for potential therapeutic resolution of persistent fibrotic diseases.
Keyphrases
- single cell
- rotator cuff
- gene expression
- rna seq
- oxidative stress
- single molecule
- rheumatoid arthritis patients
- high throughput
- systemic sclerosis
- dna methylation
- idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis
- stem cells
- genome wide
- transcription factor
- extracellular matrix
- high resolution
- cell proliferation
- pluripotent stem cells
- molecularly imprinted