Targeting LRRC15-expressing fibroblasts holds therapeutic potential to ameliorate inflammation and fibrosis in autoimmune diseases
Study context
- Population
- Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and systemic sclerosis (SSc) fibroblast subsets; mouse models of wound healing and pulmonary fibrosis
- Comparison
- RA synovium and SSc skin biopsies vs healthy controls
- Outcome
- LRRC15 expression and function in inflammatory fibroblasts
Methodological detailstranscriptomic analyses of bulk and single-cell RNA-seq datasets, flow cytometry, RNA-seq, immunohistochemistry and spatial transcriptomics, in vitro and in vivo assays
- Transcriptomic analyses of bulk and single-cell RNA-seq datasets
- Flow cytometry, RNA-seq, immunohistochemistry and spatial transcriptomics
- In vitro and in vivo assays
Main finding
As reported in the abstract
- Higher activated fibroblast gene signature in RA synovium and SSc skin vs healthy controls, correlated with Lrrc15 expression
- LRRC15-expressing fibroblasts clustered within tertiary lymphoid structures in RA synovium (multi-IF imaging)
- Lrrc15 knockdown in primary cells reduced TNF-α induced inflammatory chemokines incl. CCL3 and CXCL10
- LRRC15 upregulated in mouse models of wound healing and pulmonary fibrosis
- Inflammatory fibroblasts with high LRRC15 expression susceptible to NK cell-mediated LRRC15 specific lysis in vitro
Original publication
Targeting LRRC15-expressing fibroblasts holds therapeutic potential to ameliorate inflammation and fibrosis in autoimmune diseases. Rheumatology (Oxford). Published 24 June 2026. doi:10.
Composed by AI from the published abstract and checked against it. How Briefs are made →