Spatial patterning of fibroblast TGFβ signaling underlies treatment resistance in rheumatoid arthritis.

bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology
Authors
Abstract

Treatment-refractory rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a major unmet need, and the mechanisms driving treatment resistance are poorly understood. To identify molecular determinants of RA non-remission, we performed spatial transcriptomic profiling on pre- and post-treatment synovial tissue biopsies from treatment naïve patients who received conventional DMARDs or adalimumab for 6 months. In the baseline biopsies of non-remission patients, we identified significant expansion of fibrogenic fibroblasts marked by high expression of , a fibrosis-associated extracellular matrix protein. hi fibroblasts localized to perivascular niches that, unexpectedly, served as transcriptional hubs for TGFβ activity. We identified endothelial-derived Notch signaling as an upstream regulator of fibroblast TGFβ signaling via its dual role in driving TGFβ isoform expression and suppressing TGFβ receptors, generating a proximal-distal gradient of TGFβ activity. Further, disruption of steady-state Notch signaling enabled fibrogenic fibroblast activation. Analysis of post-treatment biopsies revealed marked expansion of hi fibroblasts in non-remission RA patients, despite evidence of successful immune cell depletion, suggesting a spatiotemporal process of fibrogenic remodeling linked to treatment resistance. Collectively, our data implicates targeting of TGFβ signaling to prevent exuberant synovial tissue fibrosis as a potential therapeutic strategy for refractory RA.

Year of Publication
2025
Journal
bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology
Date Published
03/2025
ISSN
2692-8205
DOI
10.1101/2025.03.14.642821
PubMed ID
40166167
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