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Sun J, Li MX, Xie YM, Zhang YR, Chai YR. Thymic tuft cells: potential "regulators" of non-mucosal tissue development and immune response. Immunol Res 2023; 71:554-564. [PMID: 36961668 PMCID: PMC10037390 DOI: 10.1007/s12026-023-09372-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/28/2022] [Accepted: 03/09/2023] [Indexed: 03/25/2023]
Abstract
As the leading central immune organ, the thymus is where T cells differentiate and mature, and plays an essential regulatory role in the adaptive immune response. Tuft cells, as chemosensory cells, were first found in rat tracheal epithelial, later gradually confirmed to exist in various mucosal and non-mucosal tissues. Although tuft cells are epithelial-derived, because of their wide heterogeneity, they show functions similar to cholinergic and immune cells in addition to chemosensory ability. As newly discovered non-mucosal tuft cells, thymic tuft cells have been demonstrated to be involved in and play vital roles in immune responses such as antigen presentation, immune tolerance, and type 2 immunity. In addition to their unique functions in the thymus, thymic tuft cells have the characteristics of peripheral tuft cells, so they may also participate in the process of tumorigenesis and virus infection. Here, we review tuft cells' characteristics, distribution, and potential functions. More importantly, the potential role of thymic tuft cells in immune response, tumorigenesis, and severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2(SARS-CoV-2) infection was summarized and discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jun Sun
- Medical School of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan Province, 450052, People's Republic of China
- The Third Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan Province, 450052, People's Republic of China
| | - Ming-Xin Li
- Medical School of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan Province, 450052, People's Republic of China
| | - Yi-Meng Xie
- School of Fine Arts of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan Province, 450001, People's Republic of China
| | - Ya-Ru Zhang
- Department of Histology and Embryology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Zhengzhou University, No.100, Kexuedadao Road, Zhengzhou, Henan Province, 450001, People's Republic of China
| | - Yu-Rong Chai
- Department of Histology and Embryology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Zhengzhou University, No.100, Kexuedadao Road, Zhengzhou, Henan Province, 450001, People's Republic of China.
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Ualiyeva S, Bankova LG. Isolation, Ex Vivo Culture, and Stimulation of Tracheal and Nasal Chemosensory Cells. Methods Mol Biol 2022; 2506:151-165. [PMID: 35771470 DOI: 10.1007/978-1-0716-2364-0_11] [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] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Brush cells are chemosensory epithelial cells present at most mucosal surfaces.Brush cells are a dominant source of cysteinyl leukotrienes and IL-25 in the airway epithelium and are equipped with the machinery to generate prostaglandins and acetylcholine. Activation of innate type 2 lymphoid cells and dendritic cells triggered by brush cell-derived mediators skew the immune response in the airway to type 2 inflammation that underlies atopic disease such as asthma. This chapter describes an effective method of brush cell isolation from the mouse trachea for transcriptional analysis and from the nasal cavity for transcriptional analysis and ex vivo stimulation.The nasal or tracheal mucosa is first incubated in a dispase solution for easy mechanical separation of the epithelial layer from the underlying submucosa. The detached epithelium is then digested with a papain solution. This method provides high yields of viable brush cells in a single-cell suspension, which can be used for flow cytometric analysis, single-cell sorting, cell culture, and functional assays.In the nose, where brush cells are more abundant, we present two methods of isolation of brush cells: (1) using fluorescent reporter mice that mark brush cells or (2) using a combination of high expression of EpCAM and low expression of CD45 to obtain a population of cells that is enriched for nasal chemosensory brush cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Saltanat Ualiyeva
- Division of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, Jeff and Penny Vinik Center for Allergic Disease Research, Brigham & Women's Hospital and Department of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Lora G Bankova
- Division of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, Jeff and Penny Vinik Center for Allergic Disease Research, Brigham & Women's Hospital and Department of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
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Ualiyeva S, Lemire E, Aviles EC, Wong C, Boyd AA, Lai J, Liu T, Matsumoto I, Barrett NA, Boyce JA, Haber AL, Bankova LG. Tuft cell-produced cysteinyl leukotrienes and IL-25 synergistically initiate lung type 2 inflammation. Sci Immunol 2021; 6:eabj0474. [PMID: 34932383 DOI: 10.1126/sciimmunol.abj0474] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
Abstract
[Figure: see text].
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Affiliation(s)
- Saltanat Ualiyeva
- Division of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, Jeff and Penny Vinik Center for Allergic Disease Research, Brigham and Women's Hospital and Department of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Evan Lemire
- Department of Environmental Health, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Evelyn C Aviles
- Department of Neurobiology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Caitlin Wong
- Division of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, Jeff and Penny Vinik Center for Allergic Disease Research, Brigham and Women's Hospital and Department of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Amelia A Boyd
- Division of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, Jeff and Penny Vinik Center for Allergic Disease Research, Brigham and Women's Hospital and Department of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Juying Lai
- Division of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, Jeff and Penny Vinik Center for Allergic Disease Research, Brigham and Women's Hospital and Department of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Tao Liu
- Division of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, Jeff and Penny Vinik Center for Allergic Disease Research, Brigham and Women's Hospital and Department of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | | | - Nora A Barrett
- Division of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, Jeff and Penny Vinik Center for Allergic Disease Research, Brigham and Women's Hospital and Department of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Joshua A Boyce
- Division of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, Jeff and Penny Vinik Center for Allergic Disease Research, Brigham and Women's Hospital and Department of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Adam L Haber
- Department of Environmental Health, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Lora G Bankova
- Division of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, Jeff and Penny Vinik Center for Allergic Disease Research, Brigham and Women's Hospital and Department of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
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Ualiyeva S, Boyd AA, Barrett NA, Bankova LG. Isolation of Nasal Brush Cells for Single-cell Preparations. Bio Protoc 2021; 11:e4163. [PMID: 34692913 DOI: 10.21769/bioprotoc.4163] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/03/2020] [Revised: 05/08/2021] [Accepted: 05/20/2021] [Indexed: 11/02/2022] Open
Abstract
Solitary chemosensory epithelial cells are scattered in most mucosal surfaces. They are referred to as tuft cells in the intestinal mucosa, brush cells in the trachea, and solitary chemosensory and microvillous cells in the nasal mucosa. They are the primary source of IL-25 in the epithelium and are also engaged in acetylcholine generation. We recently demonstrated that nasal solitary chemosensory (brush) cells can generate robust levels of cysteinyl leukotrienes in response to stimulation with calcium ionophore, aeroallergens, and danger-associated molecules, such as ATP and UTP, and this mechanism depends on brush cell expression of the purinergic receptor P2Y2. This protocol describes an effective method of nasal brush cell isolation in the mouse. The method is based on physical separation of the mucosal layer of the nasal cavity and pre-incubation with dispase, followed by digestion with papain solution. The single cell suspension obtained this way contains a high yield of brush cells for fluorescence-activated cell sorting (FACS), RNA-sequencing, and ex vivo assays. Graphic abstract: Workflow of nasal digestion for brush cell isolation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Saltanat Ualiyeva
- Division of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Amelia A Boyd
- Division of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Nora A Barrett
- Division of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Lora G Bankova
- Division of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
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