2026-10-11T06:12:16Z https://api.figshare.com/v2/oai

oai:figshare.com:article/34040160 2026-10-01T05:49:43Z category_696 portal_316 item_type_1 month_year_10_2026

Image 5_Single-cell mass cytometry cartography highlights systemic lupus erythematosus and Sjögren’s disease immune differences.jpeg Franziska Szelinski (6261920) Ana-Luisa Stefanski (7420553) Annika Wiedemann (6261908) Hector Rincon-Arevalo (7420556) Eva Schrezenmeier (6261917) Tobias Alexander (503838) Van Duc Dang (12372187) Andreas Frei (2037805) Andreia C. Lino (6261923) Thomas Dörner (11519) Genetic Immunology pSjD pSS SLE B cells T cells innate cells mass cytometry Objectives<p>Autoimmune diseases such as primary Sjögren’s disease (pSjD) and systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) share clinical and serological features, including type I interferon signatures, autoantibody formation, and chronic inflammation, but the underlying immunopathology is not the same. To support the development of targeted therapies, we aimed to systematically characterize disease-specific alterations in peripheral immune cell subsets of pSjD and SLE compared to healthy donors (HD).</p>Methods<p>We analyzed peripheral blood mononuclear cells from 15 HD, 12 pSjD and 21 SLE patients by mass cytometry. We manually pre-gated viable CD19⁺ B cells, CD3⁺ T cells, and innate immune populations before performing high-dimensional, consensus clustering. We compared relative subset frequencies and marker expression, including costimulatory and inhibitory receptors, between the three cohorts.</p>Results<p>In the B cell compartment, we identified 13 clusters. SLE patients showed an relative expansion of plasmablasts and two double-negative (IgD⁻CD27⁻) B cell clusters, one CD21⁻ and one CD19^low with high IgA. Both had an activated phenotype with elevated CD38, CD86, and Ki-67. In SLE, the costimulatory molecules CD86 and CD226 were upregulated on memory and DN B cells. By contrast, B cell changes in pSjD were more modest. We found 12 T cells clusters. Both diseases had increased CD4⁺ PD-1⁺ ICOS⁺ circulating T follicular helper-like cells, and pSjD showed expansion of CD8⁺ effector memory (Tem) and terminally differentiated (Temra) T cell subsets. Relative innate cell frequencies did not differ substantially between groups, however, intermediate CD226^hi monocytes were reduced in SLE but showed higher activation marker expression (CD86, HLA-DR). Network correlation analysis revealed higher immune‐cell connectivity in SLE compared to pSjD.</p>Conclusion<p>SLE is characterized by B cell activation, plasmablast expansion, and costimulatory upregulation, while pSjD is mainly defined by alterations in the CD8⁺ T cell compartment. These disease‐specific immunologic signatures highlight distinct patterns in SLE and pSjD and generate hypotheses for future studies investigating targeted therapeutic approaches.</p> 2026-10-01T05:49:43Z Image Figure 10.3389/fimmu.2026.1834700.s006 https://figshare.com/articles/figure/Image_5_Single-cell_mass_cytometry_cartography_highlights_systemic_lupus_erythematosus_and_Sj_gren_s_disease_immune_differences_jpeg/34040160 CC BY 4.0