Abstract

The molecular and cellular processes that lead to renal damage and to the heterogeneity of lupus nephritis (LN) are not well understood. We applied single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) to renal biopsies from patients with LN and evaluated skin biopsies as a potential source of diagnostic and prognostic markers of renal disease. Type I interferon (IFN)-response signatures in tubular cells and keratinocytes distinguished patients with LN from healthy control subjects. Moreover, a high IFN-response signature and fibrotic signature in tubular cells were each associated with failure to respond to treatment. Analysis of tubular cells from patients with proliferative, membranous and mixed LN indicated pathways relevant to inflammation and fibrosis, which offer insight into their histologic differences. In summary, we applied scRNA-seq to LN to deconstruct its heterogeneity and identify novel targets for personalized approaches to therapy.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)915-927
Number of pages13
JournalNature Immunology
Volume20
Issue number7
DOIs
StatePublished - 1 Jul 2019
Externally publishedYes

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
© 2019, The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature America, Inc.

Funding

FundersFunder number
National Human Genome Research InstituteT32HG002295, U01HG009379
National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin DiseasesUH2AR067681, UH2AR067691, UH2AR067690, UH2AR067685, UH2AR067694, UM2AR067678, UH2AR067679, UH2AR067689, UH2AR067677, UH2AR067688, UH2AR067676
National Center for Advancing Translational SciencesUL1TR000371

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