Dynamic changes of immune cells in systemic lupus erythematosus with nephritis using longitudinal peripheral blood single-cell RNA-seq

Disease activity in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) may fluctuate between flares and remissions, complicating effective disease management. The aim of this study is to detect early signs of cellular attributes responsible for flares and to understand dynamic changes in the immune system. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells were collected at different time points throughout the disease course from 6 patients with SLE (n = 19) and 32 healthy donors fromthe Asian Immune Diversity Atlas (AIDA), and subsequently underwent to generate single cell gene expression combined with T cell receptor (TCR) and B cell receptor (BCR) clonotypes data (10X Chromium 5', TCR sequencing). Overall design: Blood samples were collected from 6 patients before and after six instances of flare, and peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) were isolated and cryopreserved.