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VEXAS is caused by somatic mutations in UBA1 (UBA1mut) and characterized by heterogenous systemic auto-inflammation and progressive hematologic manifestations, meeting criteria for myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) and plasma cell dyscrasias. The landscape of myeloid-related gene mutations leading to typical clonal hematopoiesis (CH) in these patients is unknown. Retrospectively, we screened 80 VEXAS patients for CH in their peripheral blood (PB) and correlated findings with clinical outcomes in 77. UBA1mutwere most common at hotspot p.M41 (median variant allele frequency/VAF = 75%). Typical CH mutations co-occurred with UBA1mut in 60% of patients, mostly in DNMT3A and TET2, and were not associated with inflammatory or hematologic manifestations. In prospective single-cell proteogenomic sequencing (scDNA), UBA1mutwas the dominant clone, present mostly in branched clonal trajectories. Based on integrated bulk and scDNA analyses, clonality in VEXAS followed two major patterns: with either typical CH preceding UBA1mutselection in a clone (Pattern 1), or occurring as an UBA1mutsubclone or in independent clones (Pattern 2). VAF in PB differed markedly between DNMT3A and TET2 clones (median VAF of 25% vs 1%). DNMT3A and TET2 clones associated with hierarchies representing patterns 1 and 2, respectively. Overall survival for all patients was 60% at 10 years. Transfusion-dependent anemia, moderate thrombocytopenia, and typical CH mutations, each correlated with poor outcome. In VEXAS, UBA1mut cells are the primary cause of systemic inflammation and marrow failure, being a new molecularly defined somatic entity associated with MDS. VEXAS-associated MDS is distinct from classical MDS in its presentation and clinical course.

Background Monogenic autoinflammatory diseases (AID) are caused by mutations in innate immune genes. The effects of these mutations on allergic inflammation are unknown. Objectives We investigated allergic, immunological and clinical phenotypes in FMF (familial Mediterranean fever), CAPS (cryopyrin-associated periodic syndrome), TRAPS (tumour necrosis factor receptor-associated periodic syndrome), HIDS (hyper-IgD syndrome), PAPA (pyogenic arthritis, pyoderma gangrenosum and acne), DADA2 (deficiency of adenosine deaminase 2), HA20 (haploinsufficiency of A20), CANDLE (chronic atypical neutrophilic dermatosis, lipodystrophy, elevated temperature) and SAVI (STING-associated vasculopathy of infancy). Methods In this cross-sectional study, clinical data were assessed in 425 patients with AID using questionnaires and chart reviews. Comparator data were obtained from public databases. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells obtained from 55 patients were stimulated and CD4+ cytokine production assessed. Results Clinical laboratory features of Type 2 immunity were elevated in CAPS but reduced in most AID, particularly DADA2. Physician-diagnosed allergic diseases were prevalent in multiple AID, including CAPS and DADA2. T helper 2 (Th2) cells were expanded in CAPS, TRAPS and HIDS; Th9 cells were expanded in HA20. Conclusions CAPS is characterised by an enhanced Type 2 signature, whereas FMF and CANDLE are associated with reduced Type 2 responses. DADA2 is associated with reduced Type 2 responses but a high rate of physician-diagnosed allergy. Therefore, NLRP3-driven autoinflammation may promote Type 2 immunity, whereas AID like DADA2 may manifest clinical phenotypes that masquerade as allergic disorders. Further investigations are needed to determine the contribution of autoinflammation to allergic clinical and immunological phenotypes, to improve the treatment of patients with AID.

Background Adult-onset inflammatory syndromes often manifest with overlapping clinical features. Variants in ubiquitin-related genes, previously implicated in autoinflammatory disease, may...

To test the hypothesis that ROSAH (retinal dystrophy, optic nerve oedema, splenomegaly, anhidrosis and headache) syndrome, caused by dominant mutation inThis cohort study systematically evaluated 27 patients with ROSAH syndrome for inflammatory features and investigated the effect ofThe majority of the cohort carried the p.Thr237Met mutation but we also identified a new ROSAH-associated mutation, p.Tyr254Cys.Nearly all patients exhibited at least one feature consistent with inflammation including recurrent fever, headaches with meningeal enhancement and premature basal ganglia/brainstem mineralisation on MRI, deforming arthritis and AA amyloidosis. However, there was significant phenotypic variation, even within families and some adults lacked functional visual deficits. While anti-TNF and anti-IL-1 therapies suppressed systemic inflammation and improved quality of life, anti-IL-6 (tocilizumab) was the only anticytokine therapy that improved intraocular inflammation (two of two patients).Patients' primary samples and in vitro assays with mutated ALPK1 constructs showed immune activation with increased NF-κB signalling, STAT1 phosphorylation and interferon gene expression signature. Knock-in mice with theROSAH syndrome is an autoinflammatory disease caused by gain-of-function mutations in

BACKGROUND: Deficiency of adenosine deaminase 2 (DADA2) is an autoinflammatory disease caused by deleterious ADA2 variants. The frequency of these variants in the general population, and hence the expected disease prevalence, remain unknown. OBJECTIVE: We aim to characterize the functional impact and carrier frequency of ADA2 variants. METHODS: We performed functional studies and in silico analysis on 163 ADA2 variants, including DADA2-associated variants and population variants identified in the Genome Aggregation Database (gnomAD). We estimated the carrier rate using the aggregate frequency of deleterious variants. RESULTS: Functional studies of ADA2 variants revealed that 77/85 (91%) of DADA2-associated variants reduced ADA2 enzymatic function by > 75%. Analysis of 100 ADA2 variants in gnomAD showed a full spectrum of impact on ADA2 function, rather than a dichotomy of benign versus deleterious variants. We found several in silico algorithms that effectively predicted the impact of ADA2 variants with high sensitivity and specificity, and confirmed a correlation between the residual function of ADA2 variants in vitro and the plasma ADA2 activity of individuals carrying these variants (n = 45; r = 0.649; p < 0.0001). Using < 25% residual enzymatic activity as the cut-off to define potential pathogenicity, integration of our results with gnomAD population data revealed an estimated carrier frequency of at least 1 in 236 individuals, corresponding to an expected DADA2 disease prevalence of ~1 in 222,000 individuals. CONCLUSION: Functional annotation guides the interpretation of ADA2 variants to create a framework that enables estimation of DADA2 carrier frequency and disease prevalence.

Adult-onset inflammatory syndromes often manifest with overlapping clinical features. Variants in ubiquitin-related genes, previously implicated in autoinflammatory disease, may define new disorders.We analyzed peripheral-blood exome sequence data independent of clinical phenotype and inheritance pattern to identify deleterious mutations in ubiquitin-related genes. Sanger sequencing, immunoblotting, immunohistochemical testing, flow cytometry, and transcriptome and cytokine profiling were performed. CRISPR-Cas9-edited zebrafish were used as an in vivo model to assess gene function.We identified 25 men with somatic mutations affecting methionine-41 (p.Met41) in UBA1, the major E1 enzyme that initiates ubiquitylation. (The geneUsing a genotype-driven approach, we identified a disorder that connects seemingly unrelated adult-onset inflammatory syndromes. We named this disorder the VEXAS (vacuoles, E1 enzyme, X-linked, autoinflammatory, somatic) syndrome. (Funded by the NIH Intramural Research Programs and the EU Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation Program.).

Regulatory B cells restrict immune and inflammatory responses across a number of contexts. This capacity is mediated primarily through the production of IL-10. Here we demonstrate that the induction of a regulatory program in human B cells is dependent on a metabolic priming event driven by cholesterol metabolism. Synthesis of the metabolic intermediate geranylgeranyl pyrophosphate (GGPP) is required to specifically drive IL-10 production, and to attenuate Th1 responses. Furthermore, GGPP-dependent protein modifications control signaling through PI3Kδ-AKT-GSK3, which in turn promote BLIMP1-dependent IL-10 production. Inherited gene mutations in cholesterol metabolism result in a severe autoinflammatory syndrome termed mevalonate kinase deficiency (MKD). Consistent with our findings, B cells from MKD patients induce poor IL-10 responses and are functionally impaired. Moreover, metabolic supplementation with GGPP is able to reverse this defect. Collectively, our data define cholesterol metabolism as an integral metabolic pathway for the optimal functioning of human IL-10 producing regulatory B cells., IL-10 production by B cells is integral to regulation and resolution of inflammation. Here the authors show that cholesterol metabolism can control B cell IL-10 production via a geranylgeranyl pyrophosphate-dependent mechanism.

The anti-inflammatory protein A20, encoded by TNFAIP3 , is a ubiquitin-modifying enzyme that targets proinflammatory molecules, including those upstream of the transcription factor nuclear factor kappa-light-chain-enhancer of activated B cells (NF-κB). Patients with heterozygous loss-of-function TNFAIP3 mutations develop haploinsufficiency of A20 (HA20), a systemic autoinflammatory disease that can cause severe end-organ pathology.1–3 No available medication directly targets NF-κB signalling; thus, treatment decisions are based on clinical experience. Mild cases are treated with disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs, whereas severe cases are treated with systemic corticosteroids and biological agents, including tumour necrosis factor (TNF)-α and IL-1 receptor (IL-1R) blockade.1 2 We report that a type I interferon (IFN) signature, or elevation of IFN-stimulated genes (ISGs), correlates with disease activity and predicts response to janus kinase (JAK) inhibition in HA20. A cohort of 12 patients with HA20 is followed at the NIH Clinical Center. All patients were diagnosed by Sanger sequencing, and increased NF-κB activity was confirmed with luciferase assay.2 Five patients had disease that was treatment-refractory or caused end-organ pathology. P1 was a 15-year-old female with p.T604Rfs*93 and severe gastrointestinal ulcerations refractory to TNF-α and IL-1R inhibition. P2–P4 were members of the same extended family with p.F224Sfs*4, aged 28, 32 and 61 years. All three had incomplete responses to TNF-α and IL-1R blockade; P2 had retinal vasculopathy and neuroinflammation, whereas P3 had membranous nephropathy. …

BACKGROUND The study of autoinflammatory diseases has uncovered mechanisms underlying cytokine dysregulation and inflammation. METHODS We analyzed the DNA of an index patient with early-onset systemic inflammation, cutaneous vasculopathy, and pulmonary inflammation. We sequenced a candidate gene, TMEM173, encoding the stimulator of interferon genes (STING), in this patient and in five unrelated children with similar clinical phenotypes. Four children were evaluated clinically and immunologically. With the STING ligand cyclic guanosine monophosphate–adenosine monophosphate (cGAMP), we stimulated peripheral-blood mononuclear cells and fibroblasts from patients and controls, as well as commercially obtained endothelial cells, and then assayed transcription of IFNB1, the gene encoding interferon-β, in the stimulated cells. We analyzed IFNB1 reporter levels in HEK293T cells cotransfected with mutant or nonmutant STING constructs. Mutant STING leads to increased phosphorylation of signal transducer and activator of transcription 1 (STAT1), so we tested the effect of Janus kinase (JAK) inhibitors on STAT1 phosphorylation in lymphocytes from the affected children and controls. RESULTS We identified three mutations in exon 5 of TMEM173 in the six patients. Elevated transcription of IFNB1 and other gene targets of STING in peripheral-blood mononuclear cells from the patients indicated constitutive activation of the pathway that cannot be further up-regulated with stimulation. On stimulation with cGAMP, fibroblasts from the patients showed increased transcription of IFNB1 but not of the genes encoding interleukin-1 (IL1), interleukin-6 (IL6), or tumor necrosis factor (TNF). HEK293T cells transfected with mutant constructs show elevated IFNB1 reporter levels. STING is expressed in endothelial cells, and exposure of these cells to cGAMP resulted in endothelial activation and apoptosis. Constitutive up-regulation of phosphorylated STAT1 in patients’ lymphocytes was reduced by JAK inhibitors. CONCLUSIONS STING-associated vasculopathy with onset in infancy (SAVI) is an autoinflammatory disease caused by gain-of-function mutations in TMEM173. (Funded by the Intramural Research Program of the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases; ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT00059748.)

Stratification of patients with autoinflammatory phenotypes by interferon (IFN) score suggests a new group of IFN mediated autoinflammatory diseases with overlapping clinical phenotypes A Almeida de Jesus, Z Deng, S Brooks, H Kim, G Montealegre, D Chapelle, Y Liu, B Marrero, L Malle, M O’Brien, W Goodspeed, Y Huang, P Hashkes, G Nasrullayeva, MT Terreri, C Silva, B Arabshahi, K O’Neill, M Punaro, L Moorthy, A Reinhardt, V Lilleby, J Niemela, S Rosenzweig, T Fleisher, R Goldbach-Mansky

Background Two thirds of the 1700 patients seen at our NIH clinic for autoinflammatory diseases do not have a genetic diagnosis. Whole exome sequencing permits analysis of most of the protein coding regions of the human genome. Methods With the use of whole exome sequencing and candidate gene screening, we identified five children from four unrelated families, who had unexplained autoinflammatory disease and shared mutations in one common gene. One family from Saudi Arabia was consanguineous with two affected daughters. The second family of mixed Czech and British background had one affected boy. The third and fourth families were of mixed European ancestry from the United States and each family had one affected daughter. We performed additional experiments in patients samples including flow cytometry, immunophenotyping, cytokine profiling, mitochondria related function and ribosomal assembly assays. Protein function was studied with morpholino knockdowns in zebrafish embryos. Results All patients carried missense recessive mutations in one common gene, the TRNT1 (tRNA Nucleotidyl Transferase, CCA-Adding, 1), on chromosome 3. The two affected Saudi Arabian sisters were homozygous for a p. H215R missense mutation, while the other three children were compound heterozygous for a missense mutation, p. I223T or p. R99W, and one shared mutation p. D163V. The p. H215R mutation was not found in any public database neither in 1061 Arab control DNA samples. From the three Caucasian mutations, the p. R99W was novel whereas the p. I223T and p. D163V were found at a very low allele frequency ( Preliminary data from cytokine analysis in two patients have shown elevated levels of the proinflammatory cytokines interleukin 6 and type 1interferon, suggesting possible therapeutic targets. Knockdown of the zebrafish TRNT1 homologue caused hydrocephaly, defects in tail development, anaemia and a reduction in the number of hair cells present in the lateral line, that has function resembling human inner ear. Conclusion The CCA-adding TRNT1 enzyme catalyses the addition of the CCA terminus to the 3 prime end of all tRNAs precursors, a step that is essential for tRNA aminoacylation and protein synthesis. The discovery that missense mutations in this essential and ubiquitiously expressed gene cause a newly defined periodic fever syndrome, will allow further understanding of mechanisms underlying inflammation.

Interferon gamma receptor-2 (IFNγR2) deficiency is characterized by increased susceptibility to nontuberculous mycobacteria and intracellular pathogens. We report successful HLA-identical bone marrow transplantation (BMT) of a patient with this defect. A Qatari male born to consanguineous parents presented with a CMV positive urine culture, while blood and urine mycobacterial cultures were initially negative. Bacille-Calmette-Guerin (BCG) vaccine was not administered due to a history of IFN-γ R2 deficiency in his deceased older sister. The patient was found to have the same defect. Parents initially refused BMT. He received prophylactic azithromycin but developed disseminated Mycobacterium avium complex (MAC) infection requiring an aggressive regimen including amikacin, azithromycin, ethambutol, linezolid, rifampin and moxifloxacin. CMV infection was treated with ganciclovir, foscarnet, and CMV immune globulin. Splenectomy was performed at age 9 months, due to massive hypersplenism with subsequent growth of MAC. CMV DNA was positive until age 11 months, while mycobacterial blood cultures were positive until age 10 months. At age 13 months, he underwent bone marrow transplantation from his HLA-identical father. Pre-transplant conditioning included busulfan, cyclophosphamide, and antithymocyte globulin (ATG). Post-transplant graft vs. host disease prophylaxis included methotrexate and cyclosporine. RFLP analysis revealed 98% donor cells on day +32 post-transplant. Transplant course was complicated by Clostridium difficile infection, fevers, hypertension and thrombocytopenia, but he is stable 94 days post-transplantation. Conclusions Our case is the only living patient who has undergone successful BMT for a defect in the IFNγR2. We conclude that bone marrow transplantation for IFNγR2 deficiency is an effective means of correcting this immunodeficiency.