scholarly journals Single-cell resolution landscape of equine peripheral blood mononuclear cells reveals diverse cell types including T-bet+ B cells

BMC Biology ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Roosheel S. Patel ◽  
Joy E. Tomlinson ◽  
Thomas J. Divers ◽  
Gerlinde R. Van de Walle ◽  
Brad R. Rosenberg

Abstract Background Traditional laboratory model organisms represent a small fraction of the diversity of multicellular life, and findings in any given experimental model often do not translate to other species. Immunology research in non-traditional model organisms can be advantageous or even necessary, such as when studying host-pathogen interactions. However, such research presents multiple challenges, many stemming from an incomplete understanding of potentially species-specific immune cell types, frequencies, and phenotypes. Identifying and characterizing immune cells in such organisms is frequently limited by the availability of species-reactive immunophenotyping reagents for flow cytometry, and insufficient prior knowledge of cell type-defining markers. Results Here, we demonstrate the utility of single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-Seq) to characterize immune cells for which traditional experimental tools are limited. Specifically, we used scRNA-Seq to comprehensively define the cellular diversity of equine peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) from healthy horses across different breeds, ages, and sexes. We identified 30 cell type clusters partitioned into five major populations: monocytes/dendritic cells, B cells, CD3+PRF1+ lymphocytes, CD3+PRF1− lymphocytes, and basophils. Comparative analyses revealed many cell populations analogous to human PBMC, including transcriptionally heterogeneous monocytes and distinct dendritic cell subsets (cDC1, cDC2, plasmacytoid DC). Remarkably, we found that a majority of the equine peripheral B cell compartment is comprised of T-bet+ B cells, an immune cell subpopulation typically associated with chronic infection and inflammation in human and mouse. Conclusions Taken together, our results demonstrate the potential of scRNA-Seq for cellular analyses in non-traditional model organisms and form the basis for an immune cell atlas of horse peripheral blood.

Author(s):  
Roosheel S. Patel ◽  
Joy E. Tomlinson ◽  
Thomas J. Divers ◽  
Gerlinde R. Van de Walle ◽  
Brad R. Rosenberg

ABSTRACTTraditional laboratory model organisms represent a small fraction of the diversity of multicellular life, and findings in any given experimental model often do not translate to other species. Immunology research in non-traditional model organisms can be advantageous or even necessary (e.g. for host-pathogen interaction studies), but presents multiple challenges, many stemming from an incomplete understanding of potentially species-specific immune cell types, frequencies and phenotypes. Identifying and characterizing immune cells in such organisms is frequently limited by the availability of species-reactive immunophenotyping reagents for flow cytometry, and insufficient prior knowledge of cell type-defining markers. Here, we demonstrate the utility of single cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-Seq) to characterize immune cells for which traditional experimental tools are limited. Specifically, we used scRNA-Seq to comprehensively define the cellular diversity of equine peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) from healthy horses across different breeds, ages, and sexes. We identified 30 cell type clusters partitioned into five major populations: Monocytes/Dendritic Cells, B cells, CD3+PRF1+ lymphocytes, CD3+PRF1- lymphocytes, and Basophils. Comparative analyses revealed many cell populations analogous to human PBMC, including transcriptionally heterogeneous monocytes and distinct dendritic cell subsets (cDC1, cDC2, plasmacytoid DC). Unexpectedly, we found that a majority of the equine peripheral B cell compartment is comprised of T-bet+ B cells; an immune cell subpopulation typically associated with chronic infection and inflammation in human and mouse. Taken together, our results demonstrate the potential of scRNA-Seq for cellular analyses in non-traditional model organisms, and form the basis for an immune cell atlas of horse peripheral blood.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zhibin Li ◽  
chengcheng Sun ◽  
Fei Wang ◽  
Xiran Wang ◽  
Jiacheng Zhu ◽  
...  

Background: Immune cells play important roles in mediating immune response and host defense against invading pathogens. However, insights into the molecular mechanisms governing circulating immune cell diversity among multiple species are limited. Methods: In this study, we compared the single-cell transcriptomes of 77 957 immune cells from 12 species using single-cell RNA-sequencing (scRNA-seq). Distinct molecular profiles were characterized for different immune cell types, including T cells, B cells, natural killer cells, monocytes, and dendritic cells. Results: The results revealed the heterogeneity and compositions of circulating immune cells among 12 different species. Additionally, we explored the conserved and divergent cellular cross-talks and genetic regulatory networks among vertebrate immune cells. Notably, the ligand and receptor pair VIM-CD44 was highly conserved among the immune cells. Conclusions: This study is the first to provide a comprehensive analysis of the cross-species single-cell atlas for peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs). This research should advance our understanding of the cellular taxonomy and fundamental functions of PBMCs, with important implications in evolutionary biology, developmental biology, and immune system disorders


2021 ◽  
Vol 35 ◽  
pp. 205873842110565
Author(s):  
Shaoping Shen ◽  
Qiyan Wu ◽  
Jialin Liu ◽  
Liangliang Wu ◽  
Rong Zhang ◽  
...  

One biomarker for a better therapeutic effect of immune checkpoint inhibitors is high expression of checkpoint in tumor microenvironment The purpose of this study is to investigate the expression of immune checkpoints in human glioma microenvironment and peripheral blood mononuclear cells. First, single-cell suspension from 20 fresh high-grade glioma (HGG) specimens were obtained, and analyzed for lymphocyte composition, then six co-inhibitory immune checkpoints were analyzed at the same time. Second, 36 PBMC specimens isolated from HGG blood samples were analyzed for the same items. In GME, there were four distinct subtypes of cells, among them, immune cells accounted for an average of 51.3%. The myeloid cell population (CD11b+) was the most common immune cell identified, accounting for 36.14% on average; the remaining were most CD3+CD4+ and CD3+/CD8−/CD4− T lymphocytes. In these cells, we detected the expression of BTLA, LAG3, Tim-3, CTLA-4, and VISTA on varying degrees. While in PBMCs, the result showed that when compared with healthy volunteers, the proportion of NK cells decreased significantly in HGG samples ( p < 0.01). Moreover, the expression of BTLA, LAG3, and Tim-3 in CD45+ immune cells in PBMC was more remarkable in glioma samples. In conclusion, the CD11b+ myeloid cells were the predominant immune cells in GME. Moreover, some immune checkpoints displayed a more remarkable expression on the immune cells in GME. And the profile of checkpoint expression in PBMC was partially consistent with that in GME.


2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. e1125
Author(s):  
Rui Li ◽  
Thomas Francis Tropea ◽  
Laura Rosa Baratta ◽  
Leah Zuroff ◽  
Maria E. Diaz-Ortiz ◽  
...  

Background and ObjectivesThere has been growing interest in potential roles of the immune system in the pathogenesis of Parkinson disease (PD). The aim of the current study was to comprehensively characterize phenotypic and functional profiles of circulating immune cells in patients with PD vs controls.MethodsPeripheral blood was collected from patients with PD and age- and sex-matched neurologically normal controls (NCs) in 2 independent cohorts (discovery and validation). Comprehensive multicolor flow cytometry was performed on whole blood leukocytes and peripheral blood mononuclear cells to characterize different immune subsets and their ex vivo responses.ResultsThe discovery cohort included 17 NCs and 12 participants with PD, and the validation cohort included 18 NCs and 18 participants with PD. Among major immune cell types, B cells appeared to be preferentially affected in PD. Proliferating B cell counts were decreased in patients with PD compared with controls. Proportions of B-cell subsets with regulatory capacity such as transitional B cells were preferentially reduced in the patients with PD, whereas proportions of proinflammatory cytokine-producing B cells increased, resulting in a proinflammatory shift of their B-cell functional cytokine responses. Unsupervised principal component analysis revealed increased expression of TNFα and GM-CSF by both B cells and T cells of patients with PD. In addition, levels of follicular T cells, an important B-cell helper T-cell population, decreased in the patients with PD, correlating with their B-cell abnormality.DiscussionOur findings define a novel signature of peripheral immune cells and implicate aberrant Tfh:B-cell interactions in patients with PD.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hritika Sharma ◽  
Anjali Bose ◽  
Uma Kumar ◽  
Rahul Pal

AbstractHemoglobin (Hb) has well-documented inflammatory effects and is normally efficiently scavenged; clearance mechanisms can be overwhelmed during conditions of erythrocyte lysis, a condition that may occur in systemic lupus erythematosus. Whether Hb is preferentially inflammatory in lupus and additionally induces autoreactivity against prominent autoantigens was assessed. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells derived from SLE patients secreted higher levels of lupus-associated inflammatory cytokines when incubated with Hb, effects negated by haptoglobin. Hb (more particularly, ferric Hb) triggered the preferential release of lupus-associated cytokines from splenocytes, B cells, CD4 T cells, CD8 T cells and plasmacytoid dendritic cells isolated from aging NZM2410 mice, and also had mitogenic effects on B cells. Ferric Hb activated multiple signaling pathways which were differentially responsible for the generation of specific cytokines; inflammatory signaling also appeared to be cell-context dependent. Pull-downs, followed by mass spectrometry, revealed interactions of Hb with several lupus-associated autoantigens; co-incubation of ferric Hb with apoptotic blebs (structures which contain packaged autoantigens, believed to trigger lupus autoreactivity) revealed synergies (in terms of cytokine release and autoantibody production in vitro) that were also restricted to the lupus genotype. Infusion of ferric Hb into NZM2410 mice led to enhanced release of lupus-associated cytokines, the generation of a spectrum of autoantibodies, and enhanced-onset glomerulosclerosis. Given that the biased recognition of ferric Hb in a lupus milieu, in concert with lupus-associated autoantigens, elicits the generation of inflammatory cytokines from multiple immune cell types and stimulates the generation of potentially pathogenic autoantibodies, neutralization of Hb could have beneficial effects.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Qing Ye ◽  
Chao Zhou ◽  
Sisi Li ◽  
Jingjing Wang ◽  
Fei Liu ◽  
...  

AbstractExisting research suggests that the human immune system and immune cells are involved in the pathogenesis of nephrotic syndrome, but there is still a lack of direct evidence. This study tried to analyze the profiling of immune cells in the peripheral blood of steroid-sensitive nephrotic syndrome (SSNS) patients and steroid-resistant nephrotic syndrome (SRNS) patients before and after standard steroid treatment to clarify the immunological mechanism of nephrotic syndrome patients. The number and proportion of CD4 + T cells in patients with nephrotic syndrome remained unchanged. However, there is an imbalance of Th1 and Th2 and an excessive increase of Th17 cells. The number of CD8 + T cells and the number of effector CD8 + T cells in them increased significantly, but only in SSNS, the number of activated CD8 + T cells increased, and the number of activated Treg cells decreased significantly. Nephrotic syndrome patients also have B cell disorder, and it is more prominent in SSNS patients. Compared with the normal control, only the number of B cells and plasmablast in SSNS patients increased significantly (Z = − 2.20, P = 0.028). This study also observed that transitional B cells decreased in both SSNS and SRNS patients, but SSNS patients' decrease was lower than in SRNS patients. Compared with normal controls, monocytes in patients with nephrotic syndrome decreased significantly. The main reason was that Non-classical Monocyte decreased, while Classical Monocyte increased slightly. The total number of NK cells did not change, but the internal cell subgroups' composition occurred. Changes, realized as CD56hi NK cells increased, CD56low NK cells decreased; and the above trend is more evident in SSNS patients. Patients with nephrotic syndrome have immune disorders, including T cells, B cells, Monocytes, and NK cells. It can be confirmed that immune factors are involved in the pathogenesis of the nephrotic syndrome.


2021 ◽  
pp. 2101798
Author(s):  
Ilona E. Kammerl ◽  
Sophie Hardy ◽  
Claudia Flexeder ◽  
Andrea Urmann ◽  
Julia Peierl ◽  
...  

Immune cells contain a specialised type of proteasome, i.e. the immunoproteasome, which is required for intracellular protein degradation. Immunoproteasomes are key regulators of immune cell differentiation, inflammatory activation and autoimmunity. Immunoproteasome function in peripheral immune cells might be altered by smoking and in COPD thereby affecting immune cell responses.We here analysed the expression and activity of proteasome complexes in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) isolated from healthy male young smokers as well as from patients with severe COPD and compared them to matching controls. Proteasome expression was upregulated in COPD patients as assessed by RT-qPCR and mass spectrometry-based proteomics analysis. Proteasome activity was quantified using activity-based probes and native gel analysis. We observed distinct activation of immunoproteasomes in the peripheral blood cells of young male smokers and severely ill COPD patients. Native gel analysis and linear regression modeling confirmed robust activation and elevated assembly of 20S proteasomes, which correlated significantly with reduced lung function parameters in COPD patients. The immunoproteasome was distinctly activated in COPD patients upon inflammatory cytokine stimulation of PBMCs in vitro. Inhibition of the immunoproteasome reduced proinflammatory cytokine expression in COPD-derived blood immune cells.Given the crucial role of chronic inflammatory signalling and the emerging involvement of autoimmune responses in COPD, therapeutic targeting of the immunoproteasome might represent a novel therapeutic concept for COPD.


Viruses ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (3) ◽  
pp. 514
Author(s):  
Denise Utami Putri ◽  
Cheng-Hui Wang ◽  
Po-Chun Tseng ◽  
Wen-Sen Lee ◽  
Fu-Lun Chen ◽  
...  

The heterogeneity of immune response to COVID-19 has been reported to correlate with disease severity and prognosis. While so, how the immune response progress along the period of viral RNA-shedding (VRS), which determines the infectiousness of disease, is yet to be elucidated. We aim to exhaustively evaluate the peripheral immune cells to expose the interplay of the immune system in uncomplicated COVID-19 cases with different VRS periods and dynamic changes of the immune cell profile in the prolonged cases. We prospectively recruited four uncomplicated COVID-19 patients and four healthy controls (HCs) and evaluated the immune cell profile throughout the disease course. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) were collected and submitted to a multi-panel flowcytometric assay. CD19+-B cells were upregulated, while CD4, CD8, and NK cells were downregulated in prolonged VRS patients. Additionally, the pro-inflammatory-Th1 population showed downregulation, followed by improvement along the disease course, while the immunoregulatory cells showed upregulation with subsequent decline. COVID-19 patients with longer VRS expressed an immune profile comparable to those with severe disease, although they remained clinically stable. Further studies of immune signature in a larger cohort are warranted.


Author(s):  
Samantha P. L. Law ◽  
Prudence N. Gatt ◽  
Stephen D. Schibeci ◽  
Fiona C. McKay ◽  
Steve Vucic ◽  
...  

AbstractAlthough genetic and epidemiological evidence indicates vitamin D insufficiency contributes to multiple sclerosis (MS), and serum levels of vitamin D increase on treatment with cholecalciferol, recent metanalyses indicate that this vitamin D form does not ameliorate disease. Genetic variation in genes regulating vitamin D, and regulated by vitamin D, affect MS risk. We evaluated if the expression of vitamin D responsive MS risk genes could be used to assess vitamin D response in immune cells. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) were isolated from healthy controls and people with MS treated with dimethyl fumarate. We assayed changes in expression of vitamin D responsive MS risk (VDRMS) genes in response to treatment with 25 hydroxy vitamin D in the presence or absence of inflammatory stimuli. Expression of CYP24A1 and other VDRMS genes was significantly altered in PBMCs treated with vitamin D in the homeostatic and inflammatory models. Gene expression in MS samples had similar responses to controls, but lower initial expression of the risk genes. Vitamin D treatment abrogated these differences. Expression of CYP24A1 and other MS risk genes in blood immune cells indicate vitamin D response and could enable assessment of immunological response to vitamin D in clinical trials and on therapy.


2020 ◽  
Vol 40 (9) ◽  
Author(s):  
Hung-Ju Lin ◽  
Sung-Liang Yu ◽  
Ta-Chen Su ◽  
Hsiu-Ching Hsu ◽  
Ming-Fong Chen ◽  
...  

Abstract Statins inhibit cholesterol biogenesis and modulate atheroma inflammation to reduce cardiovascular risks. Promoted by immune and non-immune cells, serum C-reactive protein (CRP) might be a biomarker suboptimal to assess inflammation status. Although it has been reported that statins modulated inflammation via microRNAs (miRNAs), evidence remains lacking on comprehensive profiling of statin-induced miRNAome alterations in immune cells. We recruited 19 hypercholesterolemic patients receiving 2 mg/day pitavastatin and 15 ones receiving 10 mg/day atorvastatin treatment for 12 weeks, and performed microarray-based profiling of 1733 human mature miRNAs in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) before and after statin treatment. Differentially expressed miRNAs were determined if their fold changes were &gt;1.50 or &lt;0.67, after validated using quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR). The miRSystem and miTALOS platforms were utilized for pathway analysis. Of the 34 patients aged 63.7 ± 6.2 years, 27 were male and 19 were with coronary artery disease. We discovered that statins induced differential expressions of miR-483-5p, miR-4667-5p, miR-1244, and miR-3609, with qPCR-validated fold changes of 1.74 (95% confidence interval, 1.33–2.15), 1.61 (1.25–1.98), 1.61 (1.01–2.21), and 1.68 (1.19–2.17), respectively. The fold changes of the four miRNAs were not correlated with changes of low-density-lipoprotein cholesterol or CRP, after sex, age, and statin type were adjusted. We also revealed that RhoA and transforming growth factor-β signaling pathways might be regulated by the four miRNAs. Given our findings, miRNAs might be involved in statin-induced inflammation modulation in PBMCs, providing likelihood to assess and reduce inflammation in patients with atherosclerotic cardiovascular diseases.


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