Comparative Transcriptomic Analysis of Gene Expression Patterns in Neutrophils from Rheumatoid Arthritis and COVID-19
Background: Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is an autoimmune disorder characterised by chronic inflammation and immune dysregulation, and neutrophils play a key role in its progression. COVID-19 also involves neutrophil hyperactivation that contributes to severe immune responses. Emerging evidence links COVID-19 to increased incidence or exacerbation of RA, potentially through overlapping immune…
Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and COVID-19 both involve neutrophil hyperactivation, potentially leading to similar immune responses. RA is an autoimmune disorder characterized by chronic inflammation and immune dysregulation, while COVID-19 can result in severe immune reactions. A study compared neutrophil transcriptomic profiles in RA and COVID-19 patients with healthy controls to uncover shared immune pathways and disease-specific features.
The researchers analyzed RNA-seq count data from public databases, focusing on RA versus healthy controls (GSE116899) and COVID-19 versus healthy controls (GSE212041). A second comparison of severe versus convalescent COVID-19 cases was also conducted. Differential expression analysis was performed using DESeq2, and pathway enrichment was assessed using fgsea, Hallmark gene sets, and topGO for Gene Ontology biological process and molecular function.
In RA neutrophils, 11,355 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified, with 90 genes showing at least a 2-fold change in log2 with statistical significance.
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