Single-cell resolution of longitudinal blood transcriptome profiles in rheumatoid arthritis, systemic lupus erythematosus and healthy control pregnancies.

Objectives: Comparative longitudinal analyses of cellular composition and peripheral blood gene expression in Rheumatoid arthritis (RA), systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and healthy pregnancies.

Methods: In total, 335 whole blood samples from 84 RA, SLE and healthy controls before pregnancy, at each trimester, 6 weeks, 6 months and 12 months post partum were analysed. We combined bulk and single cell RNA analyses for cell-type estimation, validated by flow cytometry, before combining this in a cell-type adjusted analysis for an improved resolution of unrecognised gene expression changes associated with RA and SLE pregnancies.

Low serum lipocalin-2 in pregnant women with systemic lupus erythematosus.

Objectives: Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) pregnancies are considered high-risk due to risk of disease flare and pregnancy complications. A more in-depth understanding of the immunological alterations in SLE patients during pregnancy and identification of predictive biomarkers may help to achieve stable disease and to avoid pregnancy complications. Lipocalin-2 (LCN2) has been implicated as a potential biomarker for rheumatic diseases and preeclampsia, but remains unexplored in SLE pregnancies.