Single-cell analyses highlight the proinflammatory contribution of C1q-high monocytes to Behçet’s disease

Abstract

Behçet’s disease (BD) is a chronic vasculitis characterized by systemic immune aberrations. However, a comprehensive understanding of immune disturbances in BD and how they contribute to BD pathogenesis is lacking. Here, we performed single-cell and bulk RNA sequencing to profile peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) and isolated monocytes from BD patients and healthy donors. We observed prominent expansion and transcriptional changes in monocytes in PBMCs from BD patients. Deciphering the monocyte heterogeneity revealed the accumulation of C1q-high (C1qhi) monocytes in BD. Pseudotime inference indicated that BD monocytes markedly shifted their differentiation toward inflammation-accompanied and C1qhimonocyte–ended trajectory. Further experiments showed that C1qhimonocytes enhanced phagocytosis and proinflammatory cytokine secretion, and multiplatform analyses revealed the significant clinical relevance of this subtype. Mechanistically, C1qhimonocytes were induced by activated interferon-γ (IFN-γ) signaling in BD patients and were decreased by tofacitinib treatment. Our study illustrates the BD immune landscape and the unrecognized contribution of C1qhimonocytes to BD hyperinflammation, showing their potential as therapeutic targets and clinical assessment indexes.