Single-cell RNA sequencing of peripheral blood mononuclear cells from pregnant women with Systemic lupus erythematosus

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), an autoimmune condition, presents pregnancy-related risks, impacting maternal and fetal health. The immune cell composition and gene expression profiles in pregnant SLE patients, as well as the molecular mechanisms of active SLE patients during pregnancy, remain unclear. In our study, we enrolled 12 patients: three active SLE individuals (SLE-AT group, SLEDAI > 12, non-pregnant women), three inactive SLE individuals (SLE-NP group, SLEDAI ranging 0 to 6, non-pregnant women), three pregnant women with active SLE (SLE-C group, SLEDAI > 12), and three pregnant women with inactive SLE (SLE-NC group, SLEDAI range 0 to 6 score). Transcriptome analysis of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) was conducted using the 10x Genomics technique. We observed upregulation of genes like