ArticleArthritis & rheumatology (Hoboken, N.J.)2018
Transcriptional Profiling of Synovial Macrophages Using Minimally Invasive Ultrasound-Guided Synovial Biopsies in Rheumatoid Arthritis.
Article in Arthritis & rheumatology (Hoboken, N.J.), 2018. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 35 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
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Who cites it
35 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 60 citations in OpenAlex.
- Research progress on the application of single-cell sequencing in autoimmune diseases.Genes and immunity · 2023Pooled it
- Synovial Macrophages: Past Life, Current Situation, and Application in Inflammatory Arthritis.Frontiers in immunology · 2022Pooled it
- Integration of bulk RNA-seq pipeline metrics for assessing low-quality samples.BMC bioinformatics · 2026Article
- Sex-associated transcriptional changes to synovial macrophages in the aging joint.Frontiers in immunology · 2026Article
- TScience immunology · 2025Article
- Article
- The role of the immune system in osteoarthritis: mechanisms, challenges and future directions.Nature reviews. Rheumatology · 2025Review
- Comprehensive analysis of myeloid reporter mice.bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology · 2025Article
- Defining immune cell phenotypes that distinguish treatment responders and non-responders in RA.Seminars in arthritis and rheumatism · 2025Review
- Article
- Tissue-resident, extravascular Ly6cCell reports · 2023Article
- Network analysis of synovial RNA sequencing identifies gene-gene interactions predictive of response in rheumatoid arthritis.Arthritis research & therapy · 2022Article
- SLAMF7 engagement superactivates macrophages in acute and chronic inflammation.Science immunology · 2022Article
- The Role of Unobtrusive Home-Based Continuous Sensing in the Management of Postacute Sequelae of SARS CoV-2.Journal of medical Internet research · 2022Article
- Lipidomic Profiling in Synovial Tissue.Frontiers in medicine · 2022Review
- Back to basics: Transcriptomics studies for deep phenotyping of osteoarthritis.Osteoarthritis and cartilage open · 2021Article
- Ultrasound-Guided Synovial Biopsy: A Review.Frontiers in medicine · 2021Review
- Neuroimmune interactions and osteoarthritis pain: focus on macrophages.Pain reports · 2021Review
- Transforming clinical trials in rheumatology: towards patient-centric precision medicine.Nature reviews. Rheumatology · 2020Review
- Distinct synovial tissue macrophage subsets regulate inflammation and remission in rheumatoid arthritis.Nature medicine · 2020Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
36 authors at 7 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
Abstract
objectiveCurrently, there are no reliable biomarkers for predicting therapeutic response in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). The synovium may unlock critical information for determining efficacy, since a reduction in the numbers of sublining synovial macrophages remains the most reproducible biomarker. Thus, a clinically actionable method for the collection of synovial tissue, which can be analyzed using high-throughput strategies, must become a reality. This study was undertaken to assess the feasibility of utilizing synovial biopsies as a precision medicine-based approach for patients with RA.
methodsRheumatologists at 6 US academic sites were trained in minimally invasive ultrasound-guided synovial tissue biopsy. Biopsy specimens obtained from patients with RA and synovial tissue from patients with osteoarthritis (OA) were subjected to histologic analysis, fluorescence-activated cell sorting, and RNA sequencing (RNA-seq). An optimized protocol for digesting synovial tissue was developed to generate high-quality RNA-seq libraries from isolated macrophage populations. Associations were determined between macrophage transcriptional profiles and clinical parameters in RA patients.
resultsPatients with RA reported minimal adverse effects in response to synovial biopsy. Comparable RNA quality was observed from synovial tissue and isolated macrophages between patients with RA and patients with OA. Whole tissue samples from patients with RA demonstrated a high degree of transcriptional heterogeneity. In contrast, the transcriptional profile of isolated RA synovial macrophages highlighted different subpopulations of patients and identified 6 novel transcriptional modules that were associated with disease activity and therapy.
conclusionPerformance of synovial tissue biopsies by rheumatologists in the US is feasible and generates high-quality samples for research. Through the use of cutting-edge technologies to analyze synovial biopsy specimens in conjunction with corresponding clinical information, a precision medicine-based approach for patients with RA is attainable.
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