To characterise splicing machinery (SM) alterations in leucocytes of patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), and to assess its influence on their clinical profile and therapeutic response.
Leucocyte subtypes from 129 patients with RA and 29 healthy donors (HD) were purified, and 45 selected SM elements (SME) were evaluated by quantitative PCR-array based on microfluidic technology (Fluidigm). Modulation by anti-tumour necrosis factor (TNF) therapy and underlying regulatory mechanisms were assessed.
An altered expression of several SME was found in RA leucocytes. Eight elements (
Overall, we have characterised for the first time a signature comprising eight dysregulated SME in RA leucocytes from both peripheral blood and synovial fluid, linked to disease pathophysiology, modulated by ACPAs and reversed by anti-TNF therapy.