Lung NR3C1⁺ and CXCR6^high T cells distinguish immunopathogenesis of human emphysema.

ABSTRACT: There is a significant knowledge gap in how T cells promote emphysema in smokers with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA seq) analysis of human samples and relevant clinical data can provide new mechanistic insights into disease pathogenesis. We generated a human lung scRNA seq dataset with extensive disease characteristic annotation and analyzed a second independent scRNA seq dataset to examine the pathophysiological role of T cells in emphysema. Comparisons of pulmonary immune landscapes in emphysematous (E)-COPD, non-emphysematous (NE)-COPD, and control showed positive enrichment of T cells in E-COPD. Pathway analyses identified upregulated inflammatory states in CD4 T cells as a distinguishing feature of E-COPD.  Compared to controls, glucoc

SUBMITTER: Zhang Y 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12460644 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature