High-throughput Single-cell Profiling of B cell Responses Following Inactivated Influenza Vaccination in Young and Older Adults (single-cell BCR)

ABSTRACT: Seasonal influenza contributes to a substantial disease burden annually, resulting in approximately 10 million hospital visits and 50 thousand deaths in a typical year in the US. 90% of the annual mortality from influenza occurs in people over the age of 65. While influenza vaccination is the best protection against the virus, it is less effective for the elderly. This may be due to differences in the quantity or type of B cells induced by vaccination in older individuals. To investigate this possibility, we leveraged recent development in single-cell technology that allows for simultaneous measurement of both gene expression profile and the B cell receptor (BCR) at single-cell resolution. Pre- and post-vaccination peripheral blood B cells were sorted from three young and three older adults who responded to the inactivated influenza vaccine and were profiled using single-cell RNAseq with paired BCR sequencing. At pre-vaccination, we observed a higher somatic hypermutation frequency and a higher abundance of activated B cells in older adults than in young adults. Following vaccination, young adults mounted a more clonal response than older adults. The response involved a mix of plasmablasts, activated B cells, and resting memory B cells in both age groups. The response in young adults was dominated by expansion in plasmablasts, while the response in older adults also involved activated B cells. We observed a consistent change in gene expression in plasmablasts after vaccination between age groups but not in the activated B cells. These quantitative and qualitative differences in the B cell response may provide insights into the age-related change of influenza vaccination response.

ORGANISM(S): Homo sapiens

PROVIDER: GSE175523 | GEO | 2023/08/20

REPOSITORIES: GEO