Distinct adaptive immune hallmarks in MDA5+ Dermatomyositis with therapeutic implications revealed by single cell Profiling

We performed single cell RNA-seq (scRNA-seq) on 4 healthy donors, 5 IIM disease controls, 7 active MDA5+ DM patients, 3 paired MDA5+ DM patients in remission and 1 end-stage MDA5+ DM patient who underwent lung transplantation. For scRNA-seq, after stringent computational quality control, 111,200 high-quality B and T cells from peripheral blood were obtained. This study reveals key immune-pathogenic features of MDA5+ DM and provides a potential basis for future tailored therapies.