CD4+ tissue-resident memory Th17 cells are a major source of IL-17A in Spondyloarthritis synovial tissue

Interleukin (IL)-17A is a key driver of spondyloarthritis (SpA) joint pathology. We aimed to identify its cellular source in synovial tissue from patients with 2 forms of SpA, namely axial SpA (AxSpA) and psoriatic arthritis (PsA).

Synovial tissue from patients with SpA was profiled using single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq; AxSpA, n = 5; PsA, n = 6) or spatial RNA profiling (PsA, n = 4). CellPhoneDB was used to infer cell-cell communication. Tissue-resident memory Th17 (TRM17)-like cells were generated in vitro using blood memory CD4+ T cells from SpA patients. An epigenetic inhibitor library, siRNA, and clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR) were used to identify epigenetic regulator(s) for TRM17.

scRNA-seq showed that CD4+CXCR6+ TRM17 cells are the predominant spontaneous IL17A producers in SpA synovium. Cell-cell communication and single-cell spatial analysis support the interaction between TRM17 and CLEC10A+ dendritic cells, which were activated in SpA. Both sublining and lining fibroblasts in SpA synovium showed evidence of interleukin (IL)-17A activation. In vitro-generated CD4+ TRM17-like cells phenocopied joint tissue TRM17, producing IL-17A/F upon T cell-receptor (TCR) stimulation, which was further enhanced by cytokines. Perturbation of BRD1 inhibited the generation of TRM17-like cells.

CD4+ TRM17 cells are the predominant source of IL-17A in SpA synovial tissue. TCR stimulation is essential for the secretion of IL-17A by CD4+TRM17-like cells. The epigenetic regulator bromodomain-containing protein 1 (BRD1) contributes to the generation of CD4+TRM17. Depleting CD4+TRM17 cells in SpA is thus a therapeutic strategy with potential to induce long-term remission.