| Autor: |
Zhichao Wu, Jialiang Liang, Shuoji Zhu, Nanbo Liu, Mingyi Zhao, Fei Xiao, Guanhua Li, Changjiang Yu, Chengyu Jin, Jinshan Ma, Tucheng Sun, Ping Zhu |
| Jazyk: |
angličtina |
| Rok vydání: |
2023 |
| Předmět: |
|
| Zdroj: |
Frontiers in Immunology, Vol 14 (2023) |
| Druh dokumentu: |
article |
| ISSN: |
1664-3224 |
| DOI: |
10.3389/fimmu.2023.1251028 |
| Popis: |
AimsUnderstanding the cellular mechanisms underlying early allograft rejection is crucial for the development of effective immunosuppressant strategies. This study aims to investigate the cellular composition of graft-infiltrating cells during the early rejection stage at a single-cell level and identify potential therapeutic targets.MethodsA heterotopic heart transplant model was established using enhanced green fluorescent protein (eGFP)-expressing mice as recipients of allogeneic or syngeneic grafts. At 3 days post-transplant, eGFP-positive cells infiltrating the grafts were sorted and subjected to single-cell RNA-seq analysis. Potential molecular targets were evaluated by assessing graft survival and functions following administration of various pharmacological inhibitors.ResultsA total of 27,053 cells recovered from syngrafts and allografts were classified into 20 clusters based on expression profiles and annotated with a reference dataset. Innate immune cells, including monocytes, macrophages, neutrophils, and dendritic cells, constituted the major infiltrating cell types (>90%) in the grafts. Lymphocytes, fibroblasts, and endothelial cells represented a smaller population. Allografts exhibited significantly increased proportions of monocyte-derived cells involved in antigen processing and presentation, as well as activated lymphocytes, as compared to syngrafts. Differential expression analysis revealed upregulation of interferon activation-related genes in the innate immune cells infiltrating allografts. Pro-inflammatory polarization gene signatures were also enriched in these infiltrating cells of allografts. Gene profiling and intercellular communication analysis identified natural killer cells as the primary source of interferon-γ signaling, activating inflammatory monocytes that displayed strong signals of major histocompatibility complexes and co-stimulatory molecules. The inflammatory response was also associated with promoted T cell proliferation and activation in allografts during the early transplant stages. Notably, caspase-1 exhibited specific upregulation in inflammatory monocytes in response to interferon signaling. The regulon analysis also revealed a significant enrichment of interferon-related motifs within the transcriptional regulatory network of downstream inflammatory genes including caspase-1. Remarkably, pharmacological inhibition of caspase-1 was shown to reduce immune infiltration, prevent acute graft rejection, and improve cardiac contractile function.ConclusionThe single-cell transcriptional profile highlighted the crucial role of caspase-1 in interferon-mediated inflammatory monocytes infiltrating heart transplants, suggesting its potential as a therapeutic target for attenuating rejection. |
| Databáze: |
Directory of Open Access Journals |
| Externí odkaz: |
|
