Single-cell RNA and ATAC sequencing revealed distinct molecular characteristics of B cells in systemic lupus erythematosus and primary Sjogren's syndrome (scATAC-Seq)

Objective: Autoimmune diseases (ADs), such as systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and primary Sjögren's syndrome (pSS), are complex diseases with poorly understood pathogenetic mechanisms. Epigenetic changes are crucial regulatory elements in B-cell differentiation, and disruptions to these mechanisms may contribute to the development of ADs. We hypothesized that shared mechanisms may contribute to the pathogenesis of SLE and pSS by disrupting transcriptional circuits. B-cells were sorted by Flow cytometry, then entered into single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) and single-cell assay for transposase-accessible chromatin sequencing (scATAC-seq). ArchR algorithm was used to integrate scRNA-seq and scATAC-seq data to investigate the transcriptome and chromatin accessibility of five B-cell subpopulations and their differentiation trajectories.