scholarly journals Single-cell transcriptomics to explore the immune system in health and disease

Science ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 358 (6359) ◽  
pp. 58-63 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael J. T. Stubbington ◽  
Orit Rozenblatt-Rosen ◽  
Aviv Regev ◽  
Sarah A. Teichmann
Keyword(s):  
Immune System ◽  
Single Cell ◽  
Immune Cells ◽  
Cell Types ◽  
Massively Parallel ◽  
Antigen Receptors ◽  
Adaptive Immune ◽  
Adaptive Immune Cells ◽  
Health And Disease ◽  
Multiple Cell

The immune system varies in cell types, states, and locations. The complex networks, interactions, and responses of immune cells produce diverse cellular ecosystems composed of multiple cell types, accompanied by genetic diversity in antigen receptors. Within this ecosystem, innate and adaptive immune cells maintain and protect tissue function, integrity, and homeostasis upon changes in functional demands and diverse insults. Characterizing this inherent complexity requires studies at single-cell resolution. Recent advances such as massively parallel single-cell RNA sequencing and sophisticated computational methods are catalyzing a revolution in our understanding of immunology. Here we provide an overview of the state of single-cell genomics methods and an outlook on the use of single-cell techniques to decipher the adaptive and innate components of immunity.

Innate vs acquired immunity

2013 ◽  
pp. 356-364
Author(s):  
Reinhard E. Voll ◽  
Barbara M. Bröker
Keyword(s):  
Immune System ◽  
Immune Cells ◽  
Innate Immune System ◽  
Adaptive Immune System ◽  
Innate Immune ◽  
Inflammatory Rheumatic Diseases ◽  
Antigen Receptors ◽  
Phagocytic Cells ◽  
Adaptive Immune ◽  
Adaptive Immune Cells

The innate and the adaptive immune system efficiently cooperate to protect us from infections. The ancient innate immune system, dating back to the first multicellular organisms, utilizes phagocytic cells, soluble antimicrobial peptides, and the complement system for an immediate line of defence against pathogens. Using a limited number of germline-encoded pattern recognition receptors including the Toll-like, RIG-1-like, and NOD-like receptors, the innate immune system recognizes so-called pathogen-associated molecular patterns (PAMPs). PAMPs are specific for groups of related microorganisms and represent highly conserved, mostly non-protein molecules essential for the pathogens’ life cycles. Hence, escape mutants strongly reduce the pathogen’s fitness. An important task of the innate immune system is to distinguish between harmless antigens and potentially dangerous pathogens. Ideally, innate immune cells should activate the adaptive immune cells only in the case of invading pathogens. The evolutionarily rather new adaptive immune system, which can be found in jawed fish and higher vertebrates, needs several days to mount an efficient response upon its first encounter with a certain pathogen. As soon as antigen-specific lymphocyte clones have been expanded, they powerfully fight the pathogen. Importantly, memory lymphocytes can often protect us from reinfections. During the development of T and B lymphocytes, many millions of different receptors are generated by somatic recombination and hypermutation of gene segments making up the antigen receptors. This process carries the inherent risk of autoimmunity, causing most inflammatory rheumatic diseases. In contrast, inadequate activation of the innate immune system, especially activation of the inflammasomes, may cause autoinflammatory syndromes.

scholarly journals The impact of body mass index on adaptive immune cells in the human bone marrow

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Luca Pangrazzi ◽  
Erin Naismith ◽  
Carina Miggitsch ◽  
Jose’ Antonio Carmona Arana ◽  
Michael Keller ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Body Mass Index ◽  
Bone Marrow ◽  
T Cells ◽  
Immune System ◽  
T Cell ◽  
Immune Cells ◽  
Memory T Cells ◽  
T Cell Subsets ◽  
Adaptive Immune ◽  
Adaptive Immune Cells

Abstract Background. Obesity has been associated with chronic inflammation and oxidative stress. Both conditions play a determinant role in the pathogenesis of age-related diseases, such as immunosenescence. Adipose tissue can modulate the function of the immune system with the secretion of molecules influencing the phenotype of immune cells. The importance of the bone marrow (BM) in the maintenance of antigen-experienced adaptive immune cells has been documented in mice. Recently, some groups have investigated the survival of effector/memory T cells in the human BM. Despite this, whether high body mass index (BMI) may affect immune cells in the BM and the production of molecules supporting the maintenance of these cells it is unknown.Methods. Using flow cytometry, the frequency and the phenotype of immune cell populations were measured in paired BM and PB samples obtained from persons with different BMI. Furthermore, the expression of BM cytokines was assessed. The influence of cytomegalovirus (CMV) on T cell subsets was additionally considered, dividing the donors into the CMV- and CMV+ groups.Results. Our study suggests that increased BMI may affect both the maintenance and the phenotype of adaptive immune cells in the BM. While the BM levels of IL-15 and IL-6, supporting the survival of highly differentiated T cells, and oxygen radicals increased in overweight persons, the production of IFNγ and TNF by CD8+ T cells was reduced. In addition, the frequency of B cells and CD4+ T cells positively correlated with BMI in the BM of CMV- persons. Finally, the frequency of several T cell subsets, and the expression of senescence/exhaustion markers within these subpopulations, were affected by BMI. In particular, the levels of bona fide memory T cells may be reduced in overweight persons.Conclusion. Our work suggests that, in addition to aging and CMV, obesity may represent an additional risk factor for immunosenescence in adaptive immune cells. Metabolic interventions may help in improving the fitness of the immune system in the elderly.

Physical plasma and leukocytes – immune or reactive?

2018 ◽  
Vol 400 (1) ◽  
pp. 63-75 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sander Bekeschus ◽  
Christian Seebauer ◽  
Kristian Wende ◽  
Anke Schmidt
Keyword(s):  
Wound Healing ◽  
Immune System ◽  
Plasma Treatment ◽  
Immune Cells ◽  
The Body ◽  
Adaptive Immune ◽  
Adaptive Immune Cells ◽  
Physical Plasma

AbstractLeukocytes are professionals in recognizing and removing pathogenic or unwanted material. They are present in virtually all tissues, and highly motile to enter or leave specific sites throughout the body. Less than a decade ago, physical plasmas entered the field of medicine to deliver their delicate mix of reactive species and other physical agents for mainly dermatological or oncological therapy. Plasma treatment thus affects leukocytes via direct or indirect means: immune cells are either present in tissues during treatment, or infiltrate or exfiltrate plasma-treated areas. The immune system is crucial for human health and resolution of many types of diseases. It is therefore vital to study the response of leukocytes after plasma treatmentin vitroandin vivo. This review gathers together the major themes in the plasma treatment of innate and adaptive immune cells, and puts these into the context of wound healing and oncology, the two major topics in plasma medicine.

Body mass index affects adaptive immune cells in the human bone marrow

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Luca Pangrazzi ◽  
Erin Naismith ◽  
Carina Miggitsch ◽  
Jose’ Antonio Carmona Arana ◽  
Michael Keller ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Body Mass Index ◽  
Bone Marrow ◽  
T Cells ◽  
Immune System ◽  
T Cell ◽  
Body Mass ◽  
Immune Cells ◽  
T Cell Subsets ◽  
Adaptive Immune ◽  
Adaptive Immune Cells

Abstract Background. Obesity has been associated with chronic inflammation and oxidative stress. Both conditions play a determinant role in the pathogenesis of age-related diseases, such as immunosenescence. Adipose tissue can modulate the function of the immune system with the secretion of molecules influencing the phenotype of immune cells. Recently, the importance of the bone marrow (BM) in the maintenance of antigen-experienced adaptive immune cells has been documented. Despite this, whether high body mass index (BMI) may affect immune cells in the BM and the production of molecules supporting the maintenance of these cells it is unknown. Methods. Using flow cytometry, the frequency and the phenotype of immune cell populations were measured in paired BM and PB samples obtained from persons with different BMI. Furthermore, the expression of BM cytokines was assessed. The influence of cytomegalovirus (CMV) on T cell subsets was additionally considered, dividing the donors into the CMV - and CMV + groups. Results. Our study suggests that increased BMI may affect both the maintenance and the phenotype of adaptive immune cells in the BM. While the BM levels of IL-15 and IL-6, supporting the survival of highly differentiated T cells, and oxygen radicals increased in overweight persons, the production of IFNγ and TNF by CD8 + T cells was reduced. In addition, the frequency of B cells and CD4 + T cells positively correlated with BMI in the BM of CMV - persons. Finally, the frequency of several T cell subsets, and the expression of senescence/exhaustion markers within these subpopulations, were affected by BMI. In particular, the levels of bona fide memory T cells may be reduced in overweight persons. Conclusion. Our work suggests that obesity may represent an independent risk factor supporting immunosenescence, in addition to aging and CMV. Metabolic interventions may help in improving the fitness of the immune system in the elderly.

scholarly journals Single-cell RNA sequencing reveals micro-evolution of the stickleback immune system

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lauren E Fuess ◽  
Daniel I Bolnick
Keyword(s):  
Immune System ◽  
Single Cell ◽  
Immune Cells ◽  
Gasterosteus Aculeatus ◽  
Immune Cell ◽  
Expression Profiles ◽  
Cell Types ◽  
Model Systems ◽  
System Structure ◽  
Ecological Processes

Pathogenic infection is an important driver of many ecological processes. Furthermore, variability in immune function is an important driver of differential infection outcomes. New evidence would suggest that immune variation extends to broad cellular structure of immune systems. However, variability at such broad levels is traditionally difficult to detect in non-model systems. Here we leverage single cell transcriptomic approaches to document signatures of microevolution of immune system structure in a natural system, the three-spined stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus). We sampled nine adult fish from three populations with variability in resistance to a cestode parasite, Schistocephalus solidus, to create the first comprehensive immune cell atlas for G. aculeatus. Eight major immune cell types, corresponding to major vertebrate immune cells, were identified. We were also able to document significant variation in both abundance and expression profiles of the individual immune cell types, among the three populations of fish. This variability may contribute to observed variability in parasite susceptibility. Finally, we demonstrate that identified cell type markers can be used to reinterpret traditional transcriptomic data. Combined our study demonstrates the power of single cell sequencing to not only document evolutionary phenomena (i.e. microevolution of immune cells), but also increase the power of traditional transcriptomic datasets.

scholarly journals Immune Response to SARS-CoV-2 Infection

2020 ◽  
Vol 03 (10) ◽  
Author(s):  
Dr. Ahmed Al-Shukaili ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Immune Response ◽  
Immune System ◽  
Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome ◽  
Global Health ◽  
Immune Cells ◽  
Current Knowledge ◽  
Adaptive Immune ◽  
Proinflammatory Mediators ◽  
Adaptive Immune Cells ◽  
New Type

In December 2019 a new type of coronaviruses appeared in China and named Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the disease associated with this virus is called Coronavirus Disease 2019 or COVID-19. Currently, COVID19 is the main global health threat. In this review, we focus in the current knowledge of immune response to SARS-CoV-2. Dysregulation of immune system, such as elevation levels of proinflammatory mediators and their roles in disease progression and pathogenesis as well as imbalance between innate and adaptive immune cells, are discussed in this review.

scholarly journals 67 Immunometabolism – emerging concepts and potential applications in livestock

2019 ◽  
Vol 97 (Supplement_3) ◽  
pp. 101-101
Author(s):  
Barry J Bradford
Keyword(s):  
Immune System ◽  
Communication Networks ◽  
Immune Cells ◽  
Immune Cell ◽  
Cell Types ◽  
Whole Body ◽  
Phagocytic Cells ◽  
Adaptive Immune Cells ◽  
Potential Applications ◽  
Host Microbe Interactions

Abstract Our understanding of the immune system emerged from the study of disease processes and the communication networks used by various cell types to respond to pathogens. As with many aspects of physiology, this initial view was colored by the techniques available at the time. With technical advances beginning in the 1990, research in sepsis and obesity began to identify critical interactions between the immune system and metabolism. Our current understanding of these interactions is informed by two active but largely distinct research communities. Many in the field of immunology are utilizing cellular metabolism tools to understand mitochondrial function and fuel use in response to activation of innate and adaptive immune cells, especially as these relate to cancer. From another vantage point, many metabolic physiologists are now seeking to understand the importance of tissue-resident immune cells and immune signaling molecules in metabolic homeostasis and pathologies. Beyond human health implications of recent findings, a number of immunometabolism insights have informed our understanding of livestock health. In inflammatory events, phagocytic cells are activated, and the dramatic increase in oxidative metabolism is driven primarily by glucose use. Metabolism of healthy animals is also influenced by secretions from immune cells. Studies in mice indicate that appropriate host/microbe interactions (balancing protection and tolerance) are mediated by a network of immune cell types in the gut, which is critical to both absorptive and barrier functions of the gut. Adipose tissue immune cells regulate lipolytic rate, insulin sensitivity, and perhaps whole-body inflammatory tone. Local immune cell impacts on metabolism of other organs, including the liver and pancreas, are also emerging. Immunity and metabolism are tightly interwoven, and the evolving understanding of these links may enable nutritional or pharmacological strategies to enhance resilience to disease and alter nutrient partitioning in livestock.

scholarly journals Immune Vulnerability of Infants to Tuberculosis

2013 ◽  
Vol 2013 ◽  
pp. 1-16 ◽  
Author(s):  
Koen Vanden Driessche ◽  
Alexander Persson ◽  
Ben J. Marais ◽  
Pamela J. Fink ◽  
Kevin B. Urdahl
Keyword(s):  
T Cells ◽  
Mycobacterium Tuberculosis ◽  
Immune System ◽  
Immune Cells ◽  
Active Tuberculosis ◽  
Age Group ◽  
Older Children ◽  
Adaptive Immune ◽  
Adaptive Immune Cells ◽  
Disseminated Disease

One of the challenges faced by the infant immune system is learning to distinguish the myriad of foreign but nonthreatening antigens encountered from those expressed by true pathogens. This balance is reflected in the diminished production of proinflammatory cytokines by both innate and adaptive immune cells in the infant. A downside of this bias is that several factors critical for controllingMycobacterium tuberculosisinfection are significantly restricted in infants, including TNF, IL-1, and IL-12. Furthermore, infant T cells are inherently less capable of differentiating into IFN-γ-producing T cells. As a result, infected infants are 5–10 times more likely than adults to develop active tuberculosis (TB) and have higher rates of severe disseminated disease, including miliary TB and meningitis. Infant TB is a fundamentally different disease than TB in immune competent adults. Immunotherapeutics, therefore, should be specifically evaluated in infants before they are routinely employed to treat TB in this age group. Modalities aimed at reducing inflammation, which may be beneficial for adjunctive therapy of some forms of TB in older children and adults, may be of no benefit or even harmful in infants who manifest much less inflammatory disease.

scholarly journals Lamin A/C and the Immune System: One Intermediate Filament, Many Faces

2020 ◽  
Vol 21 (17) ◽  
pp. 6109
Author(s):  
Angela Saez ◽  
Beatriz Herrero-Fernandez ◽  
Raquel Gomez-Bris ◽  
Beatriz Somovilla-Crespo ◽  
Cristina Rius ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
T Cells ◽  
Immune System ◽  
Adaptive Immunity ◽  
Immune Cells ◽  
Cell Cycle Progression ◽  
Cell Types ◽  
Lamin A ◽  
Nuclear Mechanics ◽  
Adaptive Immune Cells ◽  
C Proteins

Nuclear envelope lamin A/C proteins are a major component of the mammalian nuclear lamina, a dense fibrous protein meshwork located in the nuclear interior. Lamin A/C proteins regulate nuclear mechanics and structure and control cellular signaling, gene transcription, epigenetic regulation, cell cycle progression, cell differentiation, and cell migration. The immune system is composed of the innate and adaptive branches. Innate immunity is mediated by myeloid cells such as neutrophils, macrophages, and dendritic cells. These cells produce a rapid and nonspecific response through phagocytosis, cytokine production, and complement activation, as well as activating adaptive immunity. Specific adaptive immunity is activated by antigen presentation by antigen presenting cells (APCs) and the cytokine microenvironment, and is mainly mediated by the cellular functions of T cells and the production of antibodies by B cells. Unlike most cell types, immune cells regulate their lamin A/C protein expression relatively rapidly to exert their functions, with expression increasing in macrophages, reducing in neutrophils, and increasing transiently in T cells. In this review, we discuss and summarize studies that have addressed the role played by lamin A/C in the functions of innate and adaptive immune cells in the context of human inflammatory and autoimmune diseases, pathogen infections, and cancer.

Learning the Roles of the Hepatic Adaptive Immune System in Hepatocellular Carcinoma—Nature's Guide for Successful Cancer Immunotherapy

2017 ◽  
Vol 37 (03) ◽  
pp. 210-218 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mathias Heikenwälder ◽  
Eli Pikarsky
Keyword(s):  
Hepatocellular Carcinoma ◽  
Immune System ◽  
Immune Cells ◽  
Protective Immunity ◽  
Adaptive Immune System ◽  
Hepatic Parenchyma ◽  
Adaptive Immune ◽  
Adaptive Immune Cells ◽  
Pathophysiological Role

AbstractThe different roles of the adaptive immune system in cancer are beginning to unfold. The dramatic responses to immune check point drugs in some tumors generated an accelerated need for understanding the complex set of interactions between tumor and immune cells. In view of the major pathophysiological role of immune cells in hepatocellular carcinoma, it is not surprising that malignant hepatocytes interact extensively with adaptive immune cells, resulting in both protumor immunopathology and antitumor protective immunity. Identifying potential responders to drugs that target the adaptive immune system, monitoring their immune response to the tumor, and devising the best treatment combinations depends on understanding the complex set of interactions taking place within the tumor and in the adjacent hepatic parenchyma.

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