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Psoriatic arthritis subtypes are phenocopied in humanized mice
Christopher T. Ritchlin, … , Francisco Tausk, Maria de la Luz Garcia-Hernandez
Christopher T. Ritchlin, … , Francisco Tausk, Maria de la Luz Garcia-Hernandez
Published August 8, 2024
Citation Information: JCI Insight. 2024;9(15):e178213. https://doi.org/10.1172/jci.insight.178213.
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Research Article Dermatology Inflammation

Psoriatic arthritis subtypes are phenocopied in humanized mice

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Abstract

Psoriatic arthritis (PsA) is a complex inflammatory disease that challenges diagnosis and complicates the rational selection of effective therapies. Although T cells are considered active effectors in psoriasis and PsA, the role of CD8+ T cells in pathogenesis is not well understood. We selected the humanized mouse model NSG-SGM3 transgenic strain to examine psoriasis and PsA endotypes. Injection of PBMCs and sera from patients with psoriasis and PsA generated parallel skin and joint phenotypes in the recipient mouse. The transfer of human circulating memory T cells was followed by migration and accumulation in the skin and synovia of these immunodeficient mice. Unexpectedly, immunoglobulins were required for recapitulation of the clinical phenotype of psoriasiform lesions and PsA domains (dactylitis, enthesitis, bone erosion). Human CD8+ T cells expressing T-bet, IL-32 and CXCL14 were detected by spatial transcriptomics in murine synovia and by immunofluorescence in the human PsA synovia. Importantly, depletion of human CD8+ T cells prevented skin and synovial inflammation in mice humanized with PsA peripheral blood cells. The humanized model of psoriasis and PsA represents a valid platform for accelerating the understanding of disease pathogenesis, improving the design of personalized therapies, and revealing psoriatic disease targets.

Authors

Christopher T. Ritchlin, Javier Rangel-Moreno, Delaney Martino, Brian Isett, Ananta Paine, Soumyaroop Bhattacharya, Jeffrey Fox, Ernest M. Meyer, Riyue Bao, Tullia Bruno, Francisco Tausk, Maria de la Luz Garcia-Hernandez

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Figure 2

NSG-SGM3 mice develop psoriasiform lesions 30 days after injection of sera and PBMCs from patients with psoriasis.

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NSG-SGM3 mice develop psoriasiform lesions 30 days after injection of se...
(A) Photographs show skin histology in hu-HC mice (left) and psoriasiform plaques in mice injected with sera and PBMCs from patients with psoriasis (middle) and patients with PsA (right). (B) Skin histology in hu-HC mice (top left) contrasts with increased epidermal thickness and histological features of psoriasis in hu-PsO (top middle) and hu-PsA mice (top right). Skin sections were stained with antibodies specific for CD3ε (red), α-smooth muscle actin (green), and Ki67 (white). Nuclei were labeled with DAPI. Minimal T cell proliferation and α-smooth muscle actin+ cells were found in skin of hu-HC mice (bottom left). Proliferative T cells and α-smooth muscle actin were increased in hu-PsO (bottom middle) and hu-PsA mice (bottom right). (C) Epidermal thickness was significantly increased in mice injected with sera and PBMCs from patients with PsO (n = 4) and patients with PsA (n = 4) but not in mice receiving cells and sera from HCs (n = 4). Representative H&E were taken with a VS120 Slide Scanner. Scale bar: 1,000 μm. 5 × 4 mosaic IF images were taken (original magnification, ×200) with a Zeiss Axioplan microscope and recorded with Hamamatsu camera. Scale bar: 200 μm. Statistical significance was calculated by 2-way ANOVA and Tukey’s multiple comparison test. ***P ≤ 0.0005.

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