A 588-gene microarray analysis of the peripheral blood mononuclear cells of spondyloarthropathy patients

Abstract

The CXCR4/SDF-1 is a potential pro-inflammatory axis for RA, PsA and SpA.

Distinctive gene expression signatures in rheumatoid arthritis synovial tissue fibroblast cells: correlates with disease activity

“…Many factors may influence FLS cell gene expression and analysis of gene expression in the context of variables in the patient cohort, specifically clinical parameters or current drug therapies, may help to characterize the signature gene profiles. RA is primarily a disease affecting the joints, yet there is systemic involvement 33 with specific laboratory measurements that serve to classify disease activity and disease severity. Elevated CRP and ESR levels, the presence of antibodies to RF and multiple joint involvement are indicators of poor prognosis.…”

Expression levels for many genes in human peripheral blood cells are highly sensitive to ex vivo incubation

“…Diseases characterized by inflammation and by activated immune responses are obvious targets for initial experiments, and indeed a number of groups, including our own, have initiated such studies. 3,5,18,19 In order for the information from peripheral blood cell gene expression to be optimally useful for translational clinical studies, it will be important to attempt to control as many variables as possible. Many factors are known to dynamically influence the numbers and function of peripheral blood cells and the relative proportions of cells at a given point in time.…”

DNA methylation regulates the expression of CXCL12 in rheumatoid arthritis synovial fibroblasts

“…[9][10][11] Elevated levels of CXCL12 were found in patients with multiple sclerosis, inflammatory myopathies, spondyloarthropathies and RA. [12][13][14][15][16][17] Levels of CXCL12 in the synovial fluid of RA patients are around 10 times higher than in healthy joints and reach a mean of 750 ng ml À1 . 16 It is understood that CXCL12 drives chronic inflammation by attraction of monocytes and lymphocytes into the joint and by stimulation of SFs to produce pro-inflammatory cytokines.…”