Transcriptional derepression of CHD4/NuRD-regulated genes in the muscle of patients with dermatomyositis and anti-Mi2 autoantibodies

Iago Pinal-Fernandez, Jose Cesar Milisenda, Katherine Pak, Sandra Muñoz-Braceras, Maria Casal-Dominguez, Jiram Torres-Ruiz, Stefania Dell'orso, Faiza Naz, Gustavo Gutierrez-Cruz, Yaiza Duque-Jaimez, Ana Matas-Garcia, Joan Padrosa, Francesc J. Garcia-Garcia, Mariona Guitart-Mampel, Gloria Garrabou, Ernesto Trallero-Araguás, Brian Walitt, Julie J. Paik, Jemima Albayda, Lisa Christopher-StineThomas E. Lloyd, Josep Maria Grau-Junyent, Albert Selva-O'callaghan, Andrew Lee Mammen

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

Objectives Myositis is a heterogeneous family of diseases including dermatomyositis (DM), immune-mediated necrotising myopathy (IMNM), antisynthetase syndrome (AS) and inclusion body myositis (IBM). Myositis-specific autoantibodies define different subtypes of myositis. For example, patients with anti-Mi2 autoantibodies targeting the chromodomain helicase DNA-binding protein 4 (CHD4)/NuRD complex (a transcriptional repressor) have more severe muscle disease than other DM patients. This study aimed to define the transcriptional profile of muscle biopsies from anti-Mi2-positive DM patients. Methods RNA sequencing was performed on muscle biopsies (n=171) from patients with anti-Mi2-positive DM (n=18), DM without anti-Mi2 autoantibodies (n=32), AS (n=18), IMNM (n=54) and IBM (n=16) as well as 33 normal muscle biopsies. Genes specifically upregulated in anti-Mi2-positive DM were identified. Muscle biopsies were stained for human immunoglobulin and protein products corresponding to genes specifically upregulated in anti-Mi2-positive muscle biopsies. Results A set of 135 genes, including SCRT1 and MADCAM1, was specifically overexpressed in anti-Mi2-positive DM muscle. This set was enriched for CHD4/NuRD-regulated genes and included genes that are not otherwise expressed in skeletal muscle. The expression levels of these genes correlated with anti-Mi2 autoantibody titres, markers of disease activity and with the other members of the gene set. In anti-Mi2-positive muscle biopsies, immunoglobulin was localised to the myonuclei, MAdCAM-1 protein was present in the cytoplasm of perifascicular fibres, and SCRT1 protein was localised to myofibre nuclei. Conclusions Based on these findings, we hypothesise that anti-Mi2 autoantibodies could exert a pathogenic effect by entering damaged myofibres, inhibiting the CHD4/NuRD complex, and subsequently derepressing the unique set of genes defined in this study.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)1091-1097
Number of pages7
JournalAnnals of the rheumatic diseases
Volume82
Issue number8
DOIs
StatePublished - Aug 1 2023

Keywords

  • autoimmunity
  • dermatomyositis
  • inflammation
  • polymyositis

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Rheumatology
  • Immunology and Allergy
  • Immunology
  • General Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology

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