Single cell RNAseq on rheumatoid arthritis-related interstitial lung disease

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic autoimmune disease characterized by synovitis and/or joint deterioration. Interstitial lung disease (ILD) is one of extra-articular manifestations of RA characterized by inflammation and/or fibrosis. Clinically relevant rheumatoid arthritis-related interstitial lung disease (RA-ILD) occurs in 10% of RA patients and is associated with poor prognosis. Although a poor prognosis has been reported, little is known about RA-ILD. Here, we report the first detailed transcriptomic analysis of the epithelial and immune cell populations in RA-ILD lungs at the single-cell level. Overall design: We performed single-cell RNA sequencing on FACS-sorted epithelial cells (CD45-CD31-EPCAM+) and immune cells (CD45+CD31-EPCAM-) from lung explants of four controls, three Non-RA Connective tissue disease (CTD)-ILD patients, and five RA-ILD patients.