Senescent Activated Naive B Cells Promote Anti-Citrullinated Antigen T Cell Responses and the Transition to Clinical Rheumatoid Arthritis

Abstract

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic autoimmune disease marked by joint and systemic inflammation. Anti-citrullinated protein antibodies (ACPAs) define an at-risk stage that precedes clinically apparent inflammatory arthritis (clinical RA) onset, yet the molecular mechanisms driving progression remain poorly understood. Here, we applied single-cell multi-omics to profile B cells longitudinally collected from ACPA+ individuals who either convert to clinical RA (Converters) or do not (Nonconverters). We identified a striking expansion of CXCR5+CD69+ activated naive B cells (aNAVs) uniquely in Converters prior to clinical RA. These aNAVs exhibited a pro-inflammatory, senescent transcriptional program and persist through to clinical RA. In Converters, aNAVs expressed polyreactive, autoreactive IgM with distinctive V-J gene rearrangements that dominate the BCR repertoire. Furthermore, in Converters most IgM+ aNAVs were developmentally arrested in the peripheral blood, while a subset undergoes class switching and follows divergent somatic hypermutation trajectories. Mechanistically, aNAVs infiltrated RA synovium and served as potent antigen presenting cells to activate both anti-citrullinated antigen CD4+ and CD8+ T cells in an HLA-dependent manner. Chronic exposure to citrullinated antigens and CpG synergistically drove aNAV activation and senescence. These findings establish a mechanistic link between naive B cell senescence and clinical RA development in ACPA+ individuals, providing a rationale for therapeutically targeting aNAV B cells for the prevention of RA.