The following is a summary of “Serum protein profiling reveals distinct patient clusters in giant cell arteritis,” published in the February 2024 issue of Rheumatology by Zingg et al.
Researchers conducted a retrospective study into past patient data to assess if certain serum proteins could differentiate clinical and molecular subgroups within giant cell arteritis (GCA) patients.
They utilized proximity extension assays to examine 1463 proteins in serum specimens from individuals with newly diagnosed GCA (n=16) and post-remission (n=13). Both unsupervised and supervised cluster analyses were conducted.
The results showed 3 distinct clusters identified through unsupervised cluster analysis based on the protein signature. Compared to cluster 2, patients in cluster 1 exhibited fewer symptoms of polymyalgia rheumatica, elevated levels of macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF), and prominent NF-kB, STAT5, and interleukin-1 signaling. The alterations in serum proteins during remission varied between clusters 1 and 2. Patients diagnosed with cranial GCA showed changes in endothelial and Th17 signaling, while those not responding to treatment in the GUSTO trial demonstrated increased Th1 and decreased B cell signaling. Anterior ischemic optic neuropathy patients had higher CHI3L1 (YKL40) and MMP12 and lower TIMP3.
Investigators concluded that protein profiling revealed distinct patient clusters in GCA, suggesting potential for future development of targeted treatments based on these unique protein signatures.