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Wjst VF, Lübke S, Wagner B, Rhyner C, Jentsch MC, Arnold C, Lohmann KL, Schnabel CL. Aspergillus fumigatus antigen-reactive Th17 cells are enriched in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid in severe equine asthma. Front Immunol 2024; 15:1367971. [PMID: 39229267 PMCID: PMC11368783 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2024.1367971] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/09/2024] [Accepted: 07/22/2024] [Indexed: 09/05/2024] Open
Abstract
Introduction Equine asthma (EA) is a common disease of adult horses with chronic respiratory pathology and common neutrophilic airway inflammation. It presents with hyperreactivity to hay dust components such as molds, and underlying dysregulated T cell responses have been suggested. Thus far, T cells have been analysed in EA with conflicting results and the antigen reactivity of T cells has not been demonstrated. Serological and epidemiological data point to the relevance of Aspergillus fumigatus as an antigen source in EA. Here, we aimed to identify and characterise Aspergillus antigen-reactive T cells in EA. Methods Cryopreserved bronchoalveolar lavage cells (BALC) and peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) from healthy horses (HE, n=9) and those with mild-moderate (MEA, n=3) or severe asthma (SEA, n=8) were stimulated in vitro with the recombinant A. fumigatus antigens Asp f 1, or Asp f 7 combined with Asp f 8, to assess antigen reactivity, and with phorbol-12-myristat-13-acetate and ionomycin (P/i) to assess overall T cell reactivity. Stimulated cells were analysed by flow cytometry for CD4, CD8, IL-17, IL-4, and IFN-γ. Cytokine expression in all lymphocytes, and in CD4+ or CD8+ T cells, was quantified and compared between the groups. In BAL fluid (BALF), soluble cytokines and chemokines were quantified by bead-based assays. Results Antigen restimulation of BALC with Asp f 1 or Asp f 7/8 provoked higher frequencies of IL-17+ lymphocytes, CD4+IL-17+ Th17 cells, and CD4+IL-4+ Th2 cells in SEA than in HE, whereas MEA and HE were similar. Antigen stimulation of PBMC did not result in group differences. P/i stimulation of BALC resulted in increased IL-17+ lymphocyte and CD4+IL-17+ Th17 cell frequencies in MEA compared with HE but the limited number of horses with MEA must be considered. P/i-stimulated PBMC from MEA or SEA contained more IL-17+ lymphocytes compared with HE. Cytokines were hardly detected in BALF and similar between the groups but CCL2 and CCL5 concentrations were increased in BALF from SEA or MEA, respectively, compared with HE. Conclusion Horses with SEA have increased Aspergillus antigen-reactive Th17 cells in their airways, emphasising local T cell responses to this mold, which were quantified in EA for the first time here.
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Affiliation(s)
- Valentin F. Wjst
- Institute of Immunology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Leipzig University, Leipzig, Germany
- Centre for Proper Housing of Ruminants and Pigs, Federal Food Safety and Veterinary Office (FSVO), Ettenhausen, Switzerland
| | - Sabrina Lübke
- Institute of Immunology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Leipzig University, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Bettina Wagner
- Department of Population Medicine and Diagnostic Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, United States
| | - Claudio Rhyner
- Christine Kühne Center for Allergy, Research, and Education (CK-CARE), Davos, Switzerland
- Swiss Institute of Allergy and Asthma Research (SIAF), Davos, Switzerland
| | - Maria-Christin Jentsch
- Institute of Immunology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Leipzig University, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Corinna Arnold
- Department for Horses, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Leipzig University, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Katharina L. Lohmann
- Department for Horses, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Leipzig University, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Christiane L. Schnabel
- Institute of Immunology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Leipzig University, Leipzig, Germany
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Muir A, Paudyal B, Schmidt S, Sedaghat-Rostami E, Chakravarti S, Villanueva-Hernández S, Moffat K, Polo N, Angelopoulos N, Schmidt A, Tenbusch M, Freimanis G, Gerner W, Richard AC, Tchilian E. Single-cell analysis reveals lasting immunological consequences of influenza infection and respiratory immunization in the pig lung. PLoS Pathog 2024; 20:e1011910. [PMID: 39024231 PMCID: PMC11257366 DOI: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1011910] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/21/2023] [Accepted: 06/07/2024] [Indexed: 07/20/2024] Open
Abstract
The pig is a natural host for influenza viruses and integrally involved in virus evolution through interspecies transmissions between humans and swine. Swine have many physiological, anatomical, and immunological similarities to humans, and are an excellent model for human influenza. Here, we employed single cell RNA-sequencing (scRNA-seq) and flow cytometry to characterize the major leukocyte subsets in bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL), twenty-one days after H1N1pdm09 infection or respiratory immunization with an adenoviral vector vaccine expressing hemagglutinin and nucleoprotein with or without IL-1β. Mapping scRNA-seq clusters from BAL onto those previously described in peripheral blood facilitated annotation and highlighted differences between tissue resident and circulating immune cells. ScRNA-seq data and functional assays revealed lasting impacts of immune challenge on BAL populations. First, mucosal administration of IL-1β reduced the number of functionally active Treg cells. Second, influenza infection upregulated IFI6 in BAL cells and decreased their susceptibility to virus replication in vitro. Our data provide a reference map of porcine BAL cells and reveal lasting immunological consequences of influenza infection and respiratory immunization in a highly relevant large animal model for respiratory virus infection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew Muir
- Immunology Programme, The Babraham Institute, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | | | | | | | | | | | - Katy Moffat
- The Pirbright Institute, Pirbright, United Kingdom
| | - Noemi Polo
- The Pirbright Institute, Pirbright, United Kingdom
| | | | - Anna Schmidt
- Virologisches Institut-Klinische und Molekulare Virologie, Universitätsklinikum Erlangen, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität (FAU) Erlangen-Nürnberg, Erlangen, Germany
- FAU Profilzentrum Immunmedizin (FAU I-MED), Friedrich-Alexander-Universität (FAU) Erlangen-Nürnberg, Erlangen, Germany
| | - Matthias Tenbusch
- Virologisches Institut-Klinische und Molekulare Virologie, Universitätsklinikum Erlangen, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität (FAU) Erlangen-Nürnberg, Erlangen, Germany
- FAU Profilzentrum Immunmedizin (FAU I-MED), Friedrich-Alexander-Universität (FAU) Erlangen-Nürnberg, Erlangen, Germany
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Leduc L, Leclère M, Lavoie JP. Towards personalized medicine for the treatment of equine asthma. Vet J 2024; 305:106125. [PMID: 38704018 DOI: 10.1016/j.tvjl.2024.106125] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/20/2024] [Revised: 04/22/2024] [Accepted: 04/26/2024] [Indexed: 05/06/2024]
Abstract
Although horses with asthma share similar clinical signs, the heterogeneity of the disease in terms of severity, triggering factors, inflammatory profile, and pathological features has hindered our ability to define biologically distinct subgroups. The recognition of phenotypes and endotypes could enable the development of precision medicine, including personalized, targeted therapy, to benefit affected horses. While in its infancy in horses, this review outlines the phenotypes of equine asthma and discusses how knowledge gained from targeted therapy in human medicine can be applied to evaluate the potential opportunities for personalized medicine in equine asthma and to suggest avenues for research to advance this emerging field.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laurence Leduc
- Department of Clinical Sciences, Faculté de Médecine Vétérinaire, Université de Montréal, St-Hyacinthe, QC J2S 2M2, Canada
| | - Mathilde Leclère
- Department of Clinical Sciences, Faculté de Médecine Vétérinaire, Université de Montréal, St-Hyacinthe, QC J2S 2M2, Canada
| | - Jean-Pierre Lavoie
- Department of Clinical Sciences, Faculté de Médecine Vétérinaire, Université de Montréal, St-Hyacinthe, QC J2S 2M2, Canada.
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Sage SE, Leeb T, Jagannathan V, Gerber V. Single-cell profiling of bronchoalveolar cells reveals a Th17 signature in neutrophilic severe equine asthma. Immunology 2024; 171:549-565. [PMID: 38153159 DOI: 10.1111/imm.13745] [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: 08/03/2023] [Accepted: 12/10/2023] [Indexed: 12/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Severe equine asthma (SEA) is a complex respiratory condition characterized by chronic airway inflammation. It shares many clinical and pathological features with human neutrophilic asthma, making it a valuable model for studying this condition. However, the immune mechanisms driving SEA have remained elusive. Although SEA has been primarily associated with a Th2 response, there have also been reports of Th1, Th17, or mixed-mediated responses. To uncover the elusive immune mechanisms driving SEA, we performed single-cell mRNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) on cryopreserved bronchoalveolar cells from 11 Warmblood horses, 5 controls and 6 with SEA. We identified six major cell types, including B cells, T cells, monocytes-macrophages, dendritic cells, neutrophils, and mast cells. All cell types exhibited significant heterogeneity, with previously identified and novel cell subtypes. Notably, we observed monocyte-lymphocyte complexes and detected a robust Th17 signature in SEA, with CXCL13 upregulation in intermediate monocytes. Asthmatic horses exhibited expansion of the B-cell population, Th17 polarization of the T-cell populations, and dysregulation of genes associated with T-cell function. Neutrophils demonstrated enhanced migratory capacity and heightened aptitude for neutrophil extracellular trap formation. These findings provide compelling evidence for a predominant Th17 immune response in neutrophilic SEA, driven by dysregulation of monocyte and T-cell genes. The dysregulated genes identified through scRNA-seq have potential as biomarkers and therapeutic targets for SEA and provide insights into human neutrophilic asthma.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sophie E Sage
- Department of Clinical Veterinary Medicine, Vetsuisse Faculty, Swiss Institute of Equine Medicine, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Tosso Leeb
- Institute of Genetics, Vetsuisse Faculty, Institute of Genetics, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Vidhya Jagannathan
- Institute of Genetics, Vetsuisse Faculty, Institute of Genetics, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Vinzenz Gerber
- Department of Clinical Veterinary Medicine, Vetsuisse Faculty, Swiss Institute of Equine Medicine, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
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Ismail KA, Mukherjee M, Kareta MS, Lopez SMC. Enabling methanol fixation of pediatric nasal wash during respiratory illness for single cell sequencing in comparison with fresh samples. Pediatr Res 2024; 95:835-842. [PMID: 37758866 DOI: 10.1038/s41390-023-02780-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/23/2023] [Revised: 06/21/2023] [Accepted: 07/24/2023] [Indexed: 09/29/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Lower respiratory tract infection (LRTI) including pneumonia, bronchitis, and bronchiolitis is the sixth leading cause of mortality around the world and leading cause of death in children under 5 years. Systemic immune response to viral infection is well characterized. However, there is little data regarding the immune response at the upper respiratory tract mucosa. The upper respiratory mucosa is the site of viral entry, initial replication and the first barrier against respiratory infections. Lower respiratory tract samples can be challenging to obtain and require more invasive procedures. However, nasal wash (NW) samples from the upper respiratory tract can be obtained with minimal discomfort to the patient. METHOD In a pilot study, we developed a protocol using NW samples obtained from hospitalized children with LRTI that enables single cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) after the NW sample is methanol-fixed. RESULTS We found no significant changes in scRNA-seq qualitative and quantitative parameters between methanol-fixed and fresh NW samples. CONCLUSIONS We present a novel protocol to enable scRNA-seq in NW samples from children admitted with LRTI. With the inherent challenges associated with clinical samples, the protocol described allows for processing flexibility as well as multicenter collaboration. IMPACT There are no significant differences in scRNA-seq qualitative and quantitative parameters between methanol fixed and fresh Pediatric Nasal wash samples. The study demonstrates the effectiveness of methanol fixation process on preserving respiratory samples for single cell sequencing. This enables Pediatric Nasal wash specimen for single cell RNA sequencing in pediatric patients with respiratory tract infection and allows processing flexibility and multicenter collaboration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Khaled A Ismail
- Environmental Influences on Health and Disease Group, Sanford Research, Sioux Falls, SD, USA
| | - Malini Mukherjee
- Functional Genomics and Bioinformatics Core, Sioux Falls, SD, USA
| | - Michael S Kareta
- Functional Genomics and Bioinformatics Core, Sioux Falls, SD, USA
- Genetics & Genomics Group, Sanford Research, Sioux Falls, SD, USA
- Department of Pediatrics, Sanford School of Medicine-University of South Dakota, Sioux Falls, SD, USA
| | - Santiago M C Lopez
- Environmental Influences on Health and Disease Group, Sanford Research, Sioux Falls, SD, USA.
- Department of Pediatrics, Sanford School of Medicine-University of South Dakota, Sioux Falls, SD, USA.
- Children's Health Specialty Clinic, Sanford Children's Hospital, Sioux Falls, SD, USA.
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Riihimäki M, Fegraeus K, Nordlund J, Waern I, Wernersson S, Akula S, Hellman L, Raine A. Single-cell transcriptomics delineates the immune cell landscape in equine lower airways and reveals upregulation of FKBP5 in horses with asthma. Sci Rep 2023; 13:16261. [PMID: 37758813 PMCID: PMC10533524 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-43368-4] [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: 04/02/2023] [Accepted: 09/22/2023] [Indexed: 09/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Equine asthma (EA) is a heterogenous, complex disease, with a significant negative impact on horse welfare and performance. EA and human asthma share fundamental similarities, making EA a useful model for studying the disease. One relevant sample type for investigating chronic lung inflammation is bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF), which provides a snapshot of the immune cells present in the alveolar space. To investigate the immune cell landscape of the respiratory tract in horses with mild-to-moderate equine asthma (mEA) and healthy controls, single-cell RNA sequencing was conducted on equine BALF cells. We characterized the major immune cell populations present in equine BALF, as well as subtypes thereof. Interestingly, the most significantly upregulated gene discovered in cases of mEA was FKBP5, a chaperone protein involved in regulating the activity of the glucocorticoid receptor.
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Affiliation(s)
- Miia Riihimäki
- Department of Clinical Sciences, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Kim Fegraeus
- Department of Medical Sciences, Science for Life Laboratory, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Jessica Nordlund
- Department of Medical Sciences, Science for Life Laboratory, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Ida Waern
- Department of Anatomy, Physiology and Biochemistry, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Sara Wernersson
- Department of Anatomy, Physiology and Biochemistry, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Srinivas Akula
- Department of Anatomy, Physiology and Biochemistry, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Lars Hellman
- Department of Cell and Molecular Biology, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Amanda Raine
- Department of Medical Sciences, Science for Life Laboratory, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden.
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Sage SE, Nicholson P, Leeb T, Gerber V, Jagannathan V. Long-Read Transcriptome of Equine Bronchoalveolar Cells. Genes (Basel) 2022; 13:1722. [PMID: 36292607 PMCID: PMC9602388 DOI: 10.3390/genes13101722] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/14/2022] [Revised: 09/09/2022] [Accepted: 09/21/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
We used Pacific Biosciences long-read isoform sequencing to generate full-length transcript sequences in equine bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) cells. Our dataset consisted of 313,563 HiFi reads comprising 805 Mb of polished sequence information. The resulting equine BALF transcriptome consisted of 14,234 full-length transcript isoforms originating from 7017 unique genes. These genes consisted of 6880 previously annotated genes and 137 novel genes. We identified 3428 novel transcripts in addition to 10,806 previously known transcripts. These included transcripts absent from existing genome annotations, transcripts mapping to putative novel (unannotated) genes and fusion transcripts incorporating exons from multiple genes. We provide transcript-level data for equine BALF cells as a resource to the scientific community.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sophie Elena Sage
- Swiss Institute of Equine Medicine, Department of Clinical Veterinary Medicine, Vetsuisse Faculty, University of Bern, 3001 Bern, Switzerland
| | - Pamela Nicholson
- Next Generation Sequencing Platform, University of Bern, 3001 Bern, Switzerland
| | - Tosso Leeb
- Institute of Genetics, Vetsuisse Faculty, University of Bern, 3001 Bern, Switzerland
| | - Vinzenz Gerber
- Swiss Institute of Equine Medicine, Department of Clinical Veterinary Medicine, Vetsuisse Faculty, University of Bern, 3001 Bern, Switzerland
| | - Vidhya Jagannathan
- Institute of Genetics, Vetsuisse Faculty, University of Bern, 3001 Bern, Switzerland
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