Mass cytometry was employed to investigate 47 circulating leukocyte subsets in patients with active psoriatic arthritis (PsA, n = 16) compared to healthy controls (n = 13), seropositive (RF and/or anti-CCP, n = 12) and seronegative (n = 9) RA patients. Comparing PsA to controls, different cell frequencies were found in both innate and adaptive immunity cell subsets, as well as in cells bridging innate and adaptive immunity. In some T cell subsets increased costimulatory molecules' expression in PsA, was also noted.No changes were observed in patients who remained disease-active after 3 months of treatment, in contrast to those who achieved remission/low-disease activity. Comparing PsA to seropositive RA, elevated frequencies of naïve and activated CD8+ T cells, B cells, MAIT/iNKT and ILCs were found, while the opposite was the case for terminal effector, senescent, and Th2-like cells. Strikingly, the composition of the leukocyte pool in PsA was comparable to seronegative RA, providing evidence for the pathogenetic similarities between these two entities.
Keywords: CyTOF; Immunophenotyping; Mass cytometry; Peripheral blood; Psoriatic arthritis.
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