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Nouri N, Gaglia G, Mattoo H, de Rinaldis E, Savova V. GENIX enables comparative network analysis of single-cell RNA sequencing to reveal signatures of therapeutic interventions. CELL REPORTS METHODS 2024; 4:100794. [PMID: 38861988 PMCID: PMC11228368 DOI: 10.1016/j.crmeth.2024.100794] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/27/2023] [Revised: 02/28/2024] [Accepted: 05/20/2024] [Indexed: 06/13/2024]
Abstract
Single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) has transformed our understanding of cellular responses to perturbations such as therapeutic interventions and vaccines. Gene relevance to such perturbations is often assessed through differential expression analysis (DEA), which offers a one-dimensional view of the transcriptomic landscape. This method potentially overlooks genes with modest expression changes but profound downstream effects and is susceptible to false positives. We present GENIX (gene expression network importance examination), a computational framework that transcends DEA by constructing gene association networks and employing a network-based comparative model to identify topological signature genes. We benchmark GENIX using both synthetic and experimental datasets, including analysis of influenza vaccine-induced immune responses in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) from recovered COVID-19 patients. GENIX successfully emulates key characteristics of biological networks and reveals signature genes that are missed by classical DEA, thereby broadening the scope of target gene discovery in precision medicine.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nima Nouri
- Precision Medicine and Computational Biology, Sanofi, 350 Water Street, Cambridge, MA 02141, USA.
| | - Giorgio Gaglia
- Precision Medicine and Computational Biology, Sanofi, 350 Water Street, Cambridge, MA 02141, USA
| | - Hamid Mattoo
- Precision Medicine and Computational Biology, Sanofi, 350 Water Street, Cambridge, MA 02141, USA
| | - Emanuele de Rinaldis
- Precision Medicine and Computational Biology, Sanofi, 350 Water Street, Cambridge, MA 02141, USA
| | - Virginia Savova
- Precision Medicine and Computational Biology, Sanofi, 350 Water Street, Cambridge, MA 02141, USA.
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Nouri N, Cao RG, Bunsow E, Nehar-Belaid D, Marches R, Xu Z, Smith B, Heinonen S, Mertz S, Leber A, Smits G, van der Klis F, Mejías A, Banchereau J, Pascual V, Ramilo O. Young infants display heterogeneous serological responses and extensive but reversible transcriptional changes following initial immunizations. Nat Commun 2023; 14:7976. [PMID: 38042900 PMCID: PMC10693608 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-43758-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/06/2023] [Accepted: 11/17/2023] [Indexed: 12/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Infants necessitate vaccinations to prevent life-threatening infections. Our understanding of the infant immune responses to routine vaccines remains limited. We analyzed two cohorts of 2-month-old infants before vaccination, one week, and one-month post-vaccination. We report remarkable heterogeneity but limited antibody responses to the different antigens. Whole-blood transcriptome analysis in an initial cohort showed marked overexpression of interferon-stimulated genes (ISGs) and to a lesser extent of inflammation-genes at day 7, which normalized one month post-vaccination. Single-cell RNA sequencing in peripheral blood mononuclear cells from a second cohort identified at baseline a predominantly naive immune landscape including ISGhi cells. On day 7, increased expression of interferon-, inflammation-, and cytotoxicity-related genes were observed in most immune cells, that reverted one month post-vaccination, when a CD8+ ISGhi and cytotoxic cluster and B cells expanded. Antibody responses were associated with baseline frequencies of plasma cells, B-cells, and monocytes, and induction of ISGs at day 7.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nima Nouri
- The Jackson Laboratory for Genomic Medicine, Farmington, CT, USA
- Precision Medicine and Computational Biology, Sanofi, 350 Water Street, Cambridge, MA, 02141, USA
| | - Raquel Giacomelli Cao
- Center for Vaccines and Immunity, Abigail Wexner Research Institute at Nationwide Children's Hospital, Columbus, OH, USA
- Department of Pediatrics, Division of Pediatric Infectious Diseases, Nationwide Children's Hospital, and The Ohio State University College of Medicine, Columbus, OH, USA
| | - Eleonora Bunsow
- Center for Vaccines and Immunity, Abigail Wexner Research Institute at Nationwide Children's Hospital, Columbus, OH, USA
| | | | - Radu Marches
- The Jackson Laboratory for Genomic Medicine, Farmington, CT, USA
| | - Zhaohui Xu
- Center for Vaccines and Immunity, Abigail Wexner Research Institute at Nationwide Children's Hospital, Columbus, OH, USA
- Department of Infectious Diseases, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN, USA
| | - Bennett Smith
- Center for Vaccines and Immunity, Abigail Wexner Research Institute at Nationwide Children's Hospital, Columbus, OH, USA
| | - Santtu Heinonen
- Center for Vaccines and Immunity, Abigail Wexner Research Institute at Nationwide Children's Hospital, Columbus, OH, USA
- Pediatric Research Center, New Children's Hospital, Helsinki University Hospital and University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Sara Mertz
- Center for Vaccines and Immunity, Abigail Wexner Research Institute at Nationwide Children's Hospital, Columbus, OH, USA
| | - Amy Leber
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Nationwide Children's Hospital, Columbus, OH, USA
| | - Gaby Smits
- National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM), Bilthoven, The Netherlands
| | - Fiona van der Klis
- National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM), Bilthoven, The Netherlands
| | - Asunción Mejías
- Center for Vaccines and Immunity, Abigail Wexner Research Institute at Nationwide Children's Hospital, Columbus, OH, USA
- Department of Pediatrics, Division of Pediatric Infectious Diseases, Nationwide Children's Hospital, and The Ohio State University College of Medicine, Columbus, OH, USA
- Department of Infectious Diseases, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN, USA
| | - Jacques Banchereau
- The Jackson Laboratory for Genomic Medicine, Farmington, CT, USA
- Immunai, New York, NY, USA
| | - Virginia Pascual
- Drukier Institute for Children's Health and Department of Pediatrics, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, USA.
| | - Octavio Ramilo
- Center for Vaccines and Immunity, Abigail Wexner Research Institute at Nationwide Children's Hospital, Columbus, OH, USA.
- Department of Pediatrics, Division of Pediatric Infectious Diseases, Nationwide Children's Hospital, and The Ohio State University College of Medicine, Columbus, OH, USA.
- Department of Infectious Diseases, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN, USA.
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Quach HQ, Goergen KM, Grill DE, Haralambieva IH, Ovsyannikova IG, Poland GA, Kennedy RB. Virus-specific and shared gene expression signatures in immune cells after vaccination in response to influenza and vaccinia stimulation. Front Immunol 2023; 14:1168784. [PMID: 37600811 PMCID: PMC10436507 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2023.1168784] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/18/2023] [Accepted: 07/18/2023] [Indexed: 08/22/2023] Open
Abstract
Background In the vaccine era, individuals receive multiple vaccines in their lifetime. Host gene expression in response to antigenic stimulation is usually virus-specific; however, identifying shared pathways of host response across a wide spectrum of vaccine pathogens can shed light on the molecular mechanisms/components which can be targeted for the development of broad/universal therapeutics and vaccines. Method We isolated PBMCs, monocytes, B cells, and CD8+ T cells from the peripheral blood of healthy donors, who received both seasonal influenza vaccine (within <1 year) and smallpox vaccine (within 1 - 4 years). Each of the purified cell populations was stimulated with either influenza virus or vaccinia virus. Differentially expressed genes (DEGs) relative to unstimulated controls were identified for each in vitro viral infection, as well as for both viral infections (shared DEGs). Pathway enrichment analysis was performed to associate identified DEGs with KEGG/biological pathways. Results We identified 2,906, 3,888, 681, and 446 DEGs in PBMCs, monocytes, B cells, and CD8+ T cells, respectively, in response to influenza stimulation. Meanwhile, 97, 120, 20, and 10 DEGs were identified as gene signatures in PBMCs, monocytes, B cells, and CD8+ T cells, respectively, upon vaccinia stimulation. The majority of DEGs identified in PBMCs were also found in monocytes after either viral stimulation. Of the virus-specific DEGs, 55, 63, and 9 DEGs occurred in common in PBMCs, monocytes, and B cells, respectively, while no DEGs were shared in infected CD8+ T cells after influenza and vaccinia. Gene set enrichment analysis demonstrated that these shared DEGs were over-represented in innate signaling pathways, including cytokine-cytokine receptor interaction, viral protein interaction with cytokine and cytokine receptor, Toll-like receptor signaling, RIG-I-like receptor signaling pathways, cytosolic DNA-sensing pathways, and natural killer cell mediated cytotoxicity. Conclusion Our results provide insights into virus-host interactions in different immune cells, as well as host defense mechanisms against viral stimulation. Our data also highlights the role of monocytes as a major cell population driving gene expression in ex vivo PBMCs in response to viral stimulation. The immune response signaling pathways identified in this study may provide specific targets for the development of novel virus-specific therapeutics and improved vaccines for vaccinia and influenza. Although influenza and vaccinia viruses have been selected in this study as pathogen models, this approach could be applicable to other pathogens.
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Affiliation(s)
- Huy Quang Quach
- Mayo Clinic Vaccine Research Group, Division of General Internal Medicine, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, United States
| | - Krista M. Goergen
- Department of Quantitative Health Sciences, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, United States
| | - Diane E. Grill
- Department of Quantitative Health Sciences, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, United States
| | - Iana H. Haralambieva
- Mayo Clinic Vaccine Research Group, Division of General Internal Medicine, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, United States
| | - Inna G. Ovsyannikova
- Mayo Clinic Vaccine Research Group, Division of General Internal Medicine, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, United States
| | - Gregory A. Poland
- Mayo Clinic Vaccine Research Group, Division of General Internal Medicine, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, United States
| | - Richard B. Kennedy
- Mayo Clinic Vaccine Research Group, Division of General Internal Medicine, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, United States
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Ramilo O, Mejias A. Antibiotics and Immunizations: A Complex Interaction. Pediatrics 2022; 149:186891. [PMID: 35474544 DOI: 10.1542/peds.2021-055610] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 02/25/2022] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Octavio Ramilo
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Pediatrics, Nationwide Children's Hospital, Columbus, Ohio.,The Ohio State University College of Medicine, Columbus, Ohio.,Center for Vaccines and Immunity, Abigail Wexner Research Institute at Nationwide Children's Hospital, Columbus, Ohio
| | - Asuncion Mejias
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Pediatrics, Nationwide Children's Hospital, Columbus, Ohio.,The Ohio State University College of Medicine, Columbus, Ohio.,Center for Vaccines and Immunity, Abigail Wexner Research Institute at Nationwide Children's Hospital, Columbus, Ohio
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Jennewein MF, Kosikova M, Noelette FJ, Radvak P, Boudreau CM, Campbell JD, Chen WH, Xie H, Alter G, Pasetti MF. Functional and structural modifications of influenza antibodies during pregnancy. iScience 2022; 25:104088. [PMID: 35402869 PMCID: PMC8991102 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2022.104088] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/18/2021] [Revised: 10/14/2021] [Accepted: 03/14/2022] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Pregnancy represents a unique tolerogenic immune state which may alter susceptibility to infection and vaccine response. Here, we characterized humoral immunity to seasonal influenza vaccine strains in pregnant and non-pregnant women. Although serological responses to influenza remained largely intact during late pregnancy, distinct modifications were observed. Pregnant women had reduced hemagglutinin subtype-1 (H1)- IgG, IgG1, IgG2, and IgG3, hemagglutination inhibition, and group 1 and 2 stem IgG titers. Intriguingly, H1-specific avidity and FcγR1 binding increased, and influenza antibodies had distinct Fc and Fab glycans characterized by increased di-galactosylation and di-sialylation. H1-specific Fc-functionality (i.e. monocyte phagocytosis and complement deposition) was moderately reduced in pregnancy. Multivariate antibody analysis revealed two distinct populations (pregnant vs. non-pregnant) segregated by H1 FcγR1 binding, H1-IgG levels, and Fab and Fc glycosylation. Our results demonstrated a structural and functional modulation of influenza humoral immunity during pregnancy that was antigen-specific and consistent with reduced inflammation and efficient placental transport.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Martina Kosikova
- Laboratory of Pediatric and Respiratory Viral Diseases, Division of Viral Products, Office of Vaccines Research and Review, Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, US Food and Drug Administration, Silver Spring, MD 20993, USA
| | | | - Peter Radvak
- Laboratory of Pediatric and Respiratory Viral Diseases, Division of Viral Products, Office of Vaccines Research and Review, Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, US Food and Drug Administration, Silver Spring, MD 20993, USA
| | | | - James D. Campbell
- Center for Vaccine Development and Global Health, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21201, USA
| | - Wilbur H. Chen
- Center for Vaccine Development and Global Health, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21201, USA
| | - Hang Xie
- Laboratory of Pediatric and Respiratory Viral Diseases, Division of Viral Products, Office of Vaccines Research and Review, Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, US Food and Drug Administration, Silver Spring, MD 20993, USA
| | - Galit Alter
- The Ragon Institute of MGH, MIT, and Harvard, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - Marcela F. Pasetti
- Center for Vaccine Development and Global Health, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21201, USA
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