Cited by 778Rheumatoid Arthritis Research and TherapiesImmune cells in cancerAutoimmune and Inflammatory Disorders Research

Distinct synovial tissue macrophage subsets regulate inflammation and remission in rheumatoid arthritis

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Alivernini, Stefano, MacDonald, Lucy, Elmesmari, Aziza, Finlay, Samuel, Tolusso, Barbara, Gigante, Maria Rita, Petricca, Luca, Di Mario, Clara +23 more·2020·Nature Medicine

Abstract

Immune-regulatory mechanisms of drug-free remission in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) are unknown. We hypothesized that synovial tissue macrophages (STM), which persist in remission, contribute to joint homeostasis. We used single-cell transcriptomics to profile 32,000 STMs and identified phenotypic changes in patients with early/active RA, treatment-refractory/active RA and RA in sustained remission. Each clinical state was characterized by different frequencies of nine discrete phenotypic clusters within four distinct STM subpopulations with diverse homeostatic, regulatory and inflammatory functions. This cellular atlas, combined with deep-phenotypic, spatial and functional analyses of synovial biopsy fluorescent activated cell sorted STMs, revealed two STM subpopulations (MerTK pos TREM2 high and MerTK pos LYVE1 pos) with unique remission transcriptomic signatures enriched in negative regulators of inflammation. These STMs were potent producers of inflammation-resolving lipid mediators and induced the repair response of synovial fibroblasts in vitro. A low proportion of MerTK pos STMs in remission was associated with increased risk of disease flare after treatment cessation. Therapeutic modulation of MerTK pos STM subpopulations could therefore be a potential treatment strategy for RA.

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Crossref · 10.1038/s41591-020-0939-8

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  • The LAM phenotype is not unique to the fibrotic liver, also being identified in other tissues in the context of sterile injury as well as in macrophages surrounding the bile duct in the healthy liver.

    “Interestingly, this phenotype is not unique to the fibrotic liver, also being identified in other tissues in the context of sterile injury (32, 33, 38, 110–121) as well as in macrophages surrounding the bile duct in the healthy liver (62).”

    From Targeting macrophages in liver fibrosis (2026) · cites this paper as [115]

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Authors
Alivernini, S., MacDonald, L., Elmesmari, A., Finlay, S., Tolusso, B., Gigante, M. R., Petricca, L., Di Mario, C., Bui, L., Perniola, S., Attar, M., Gessi, M., Fedele, A. L., Chilaka, S., Somma, D., Sansom, S. N., Filer, A., McSharry, C., Millar, N. L., Kirschner, K., Nerviani, A., Lewis, M. J., Pitzalis, C., Clark, A. R., Ferraccioli, G., Udalova, I., Buckley, C. D., Gremese, E., McInnes, I. B., Otto, T. D., & Kurowska-Stolarska, M.
Affiliations
  • Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore (IT)
  • Arthritis UK (GB)
  • Agostino Gemelli University Polyclinic (IT)
  • University of Oxford (GB)
  • University of Glasgow (GB)
  • University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust (GB)
  • Queen Mary University of London (GB)
Corresponding author
Alivernini, Stefano
Venue
Nature Medicine
Published
2020-06-29
Volume
26
Issue
8
Pages
1295-1306
ISSN
  • 1078-8956 (ISSN-L)
  • 1546-170X
OpenAlex
W3037615636
Cited by
740
References
65
Citations by year
2026: 143 · 2025: 161 · 2024: 145 · 2023: 106 · 2022: 90 · 2021: 80 · 2020: 14 · 2013: 1
FWCI
54.63
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • Nature Medicine (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • ENLIGHTEN (Jurnal Bimbingan dan Konseling Islam) (acceptedVersion, cc-by-sa)
  • University of Birmingham Research Portal (University of Birmingham) (submittedVersion, other-oa)
  • Queen Mary Research Online (Queen Mary University of London) (submittedVersion)
Funders
  • European Hematology Association (TRTH172)
  • Kennedy Trust for Rheumatology Research (KENN161704, KENN192004)
  • Versus Arthritis (21890, 22253, 22272, 21802)
  • Medical Research Council (MR/S025308/1)
Topics
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Rheumatology › Rheumatoid Arthritis Research and Therapies
  • Life Sciences › Immunology and Microbiology › Immunology › Immune cells in cancer
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Hematology › Autoimmune and Inflammatory Disorders Research
Keywords
rheumatoid arthritis, synovial macrophages, macrophage subsets, inflammation, clinical remission, disease flares, tissue repair, macrophage heterogeneity
MeSH terms
Mannose Receptor, Arthritis, Rheumatoid, Biopsy, Humans, Inflammation, Joints, Macrophages, Receptors, Cell Surface, Receptors, Immunologic, Synovial Fluid, Synovial Membrane, Cell Lineage, Lectins, C-Type, Mannose-Binding Lectins

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