Project description:To study the heterogeneity of regulatory T cells (Tregs) in various organs, we performed single-cell RNA sequencing on liver and splenic Treg cells obtained from 12-day and 7-week old mice. Unique Treg subsets in neonatal liver were found and their impact on liver development and maturation was investigated.
Project description:We report transcriptomic differences between neonatal and adult Treg responses to tendon jury using NGS sequencing. We performed tendon injuries to neonatal mice at P5 and 4-6 month old adult mice and isolated Tregs by FACS (CD4-PE+, Foxp3-GFP+) from injured tendons and autologus spleens 14 days after inury. We then performed RNA-sequencing with biological triplicates to distinguish unique transcriptomic signatures that can illuminate the role of Tregs in neonatal tendon regeneration. Tregs from neonatal tendon show a type 2 immune signatures with a unique gene signature that is distinc from canonical Treg activation, while adult Tregs demonstrate a type 1 signature.
Project description:Early life establishment of tolerance to commensal bacteria at barrier surfaces carries enduring implications for immune health but remains poorly understood. Here we show that this process is controlled by microbial interaction with a specialized subset of antigen presenting cells. More particularly, we identify CD301b+ type 2 conventional dendritic cells (DC) as a subset in neonatal skin specifically capable of uptake, presentation and generation of regulatory T cells (Tregs) to commensal antigens. In early life, CD301b+ DC2 are enriched for programs of phagocytosis and maturation, while also expressing tolerogenic markers. In both human and murine skin, these signatures were reinforced by microbial uptake. In contrast to their adult counterparts or other early life DC subsets, neonatal CD301b+ DC2 highly expressed the retinoic acid-producing enzyme, RALDH2, deletion of which limited commensal-specific Tregs. Thus, synergistic interactions between bacteria and a specialized DC subset critically support early life tolerance at the cutaneous interface.
Project description:Early life establishment of tolerance to commensal bacteria at barrier surfaces carries enduring implications for immune health but remains poorly understood. Here we show that this process is controlled by microbial interaction with a specialized subset of antigen presenting cells. More particularly, we identify CD301b+ type 2 conventional dendritic cells (DC) as a subset in neonatal skin specifically capable of uptake, presentation and generation of regulatory T cells (Tregs) to commensal antigens. In early life, CD301b+ DC2 are enriched for programs of phagocytosis and maturation, while also expressing tolerogenic markers. In both human and murine skin, these signatures were reinforced by microbial uptake. In contrast to their adult counterparts or other early life DC subsets, neonatal CD301b+ DC2 highly expressed the retinoic acid-producing enzyme, RALDH2, deletion of which limited commensal-specific Tregs. Thus, synergistic interactions between bacteria and a specialized DC subset critically support early life tolerance at the cutaneous interface.
Project description:Purpose: The goals of this study were to identify preferential gene expression signatures that are unique to Tregs in neonatal skin relative to peripheral Tregs Methods: Tregs from telogen skin and SDLNs were purified by cell sorting (using the Treg GFP reporter mouse line Foxp3-DTR/GFP) to generate mRNA transcription profiles. Results: Transcriptional profiling revealed a unique neonatal skin Treg signature relative to SDLN Tregs Conclusion: Our study represents the first detailed analysis of the neonatal skin Treg transcriptome.
Project description:The first wave of Foxp3+ regulatory T cells (Tregs) generated in neonates has been reported to be indispensable for the life-long prevention of autoimmunity. Although it is widely accepted that neonates are highly susceptible to infections, the impact of neonatal infections on the first wave of Tregs is completely unknown. Here, we challenged newborn Treg fate-mapping mice (Foxp3eGFPCreERT2xRosa26-YFP) with the Toll-like receptor agonists LPS and poly I:C to mimic neonatal bacterial or viral infections, respectively, and subsequently administrated tamoxifen during the first eight days of life to selectively label the first wave of Tregs. Neonatally-tagged Tregs preferentially accumulated in non-lymphoid tissues when compared to lymphoid organs irrespective of the treatment. One week post perturbation, unexpectedly no differences in the frequency and phenotypes of neonatally-tagged Tregs were observed between challenged mice and untreated controls. However, upon aging, a decreased frequency of neonatally-tagged Tregs in both non-lymphoid tissues and lymphoid organs was detected in challenged mice when compared to untreated controls, and became significant twelve weeks post perturbation, with no signs of altered Foxp3 stability. Remarkably, this late decrease in the frequency of neonatally-tagged Tregs only occurred upon perturbations in newborns as challenging of eight-day-old mice did not result in long-lasting alterations of the first wave of Tregs. Combined single-cell T cell receptor (TCR)-seq and RNA-seq revealed that neonatal perturbations drastically diminished TCR diversity and long-lastingly altered the transcriptome of neonatally tagged Tregs, exemplified by lower expression of Tigit, Foxp3, and Il2ra. Together, our data demonstrate that a single, transient encounter with a pathogen in neonates can have long-lasting consequences for the first wave of Tregs, which might affect immunological tolerance, prevention of autoimmunity, and other non-canonical functions of tissue-resident Tregs.
Project description:Cy3-labeled cDNA obtained from four pools of three hearts of neonatal C57BL Cx43 null mice were compared to Cy3-labeled cDNA obtained from four pools of three hearts of neonatal C57BL wildtype mice through Cy5-labeled sample reference prepared at once for the entire experiment from aorta, brain, heart, kidney, liver, lung, ovary/testicles, spleen, and stomach - equal amounts from adult male and female C57BL mice. Keywords = Cx32 null vs wildtype neonatal mouse heart
Project description:Cy3-labeled cDNA obtained from four pools of three hearts of neonatal C57BL Cx43 null mice were compared to Cy3-labeled cDNA obtained from four pools of three hearts of neonatal C57BL wildtype mice through Cy5-labeled sample reference prepared at once for the entire experiment from aorta, brain, heart, kidney, liver, lung, ovary/testicles, spleen, and stomach - equal amounts from adult male and female C57BL mice. Keywords = Cx32 null vs wildtype neonatal mouse heart Keywords: parallel sample