Project description:Kilian2024 - Immune cell dynamics in Cue-Induced Extended Human Colitis Model
Single-cell technologies such as scRNA-seq and flow cytometry provide critical insights into immune cell behavior in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). However, integrating these datasets into computational models for dynamic analysis remains challenging. Here, Kilian et al., (2024) developed a deterministic ODE-based model that incorporates these technologies to study immune cell population changes in murine colitis. The model parameters were optimized to fit experimental data, ensuring an accurate representation of immune cell behavior over time. It was then validated by comparing simulations with experimental data using Pearson’s correlation and further tested on independent datasets to confirm its robustness. Additionally, the model was applied to clinical bulk RNA-seq data from human IBD patients, providing valuable insights into immune system dynamics and potential therapeutic strategies.
Figure 4c, obtained from the simulation of human colitis model is highlighted here.
This model is described in the article:
Kilian, C., Ulrich, H., Zouboulis, V.A. et al. Longitudinal single-cell data informs deterministic modelling of inflammatory bowel disease. npj Syst Biol Appl 10, 69 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41540-024-00395-9
Abstract:
Single-cell-based methods such as flow cytometry or single-cell mRNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) allow deep molecular and cellular profiling of immunological processes. Despite their high throughput, however, these measurements represent only a snapshot in time. Here, we explore how longitudinal single-cell-based datasets can be used for deterministic ordinary differential equation (ODE)-based modelling to mechanistically describe immune dynamics. We derived longitudinal changes in cell numbers of colonic cell types during inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) from flow cytometry and scRNA-seq data of murine colitis using ODE-based models. Our mathematical model generalised well across different protocols and experimental techniques, and we hypothesised that the estimated model parameters reflect biological processes. We validated this prediction of cellular turnover rates with KI-67 staining and with gene expression information from the scRNA-seq data not used for model fitting. Finally, we tested the translational relevance of the mathematical model by deconvolution of longitudinal bulk mRNA-sequencing data from a cohort of human IBD patients treated with olamkicept. We found that neutrophil depletion may contribute to IBD patients entering remission. The predictive power of IBD deterministic modelling highlights its potential to advance our understanding of immune dynamics in health and disease.
This model was curated during the Hackathon hosted by BioMed X GmbH in 2024.
Project description:The study profiles endometrial samples from donors in reproductive age with and without endometriosis collected either during natural cycles or under exogenous hormonal treatment. Samples where profiled either with single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) or single-nuclei RNA sequencing (snRNA-seq) using 10x technology.
Project description:Pancreatic cancer is a complex disease with a desmoplastic stroma, extreme hypoxia, and inherent resistance to therapy. Understanding the signaling and adaptive response of such an aggressive cancer is key to making advances in therapeutic efficacy and understanding disease progression. Redox factor-1 (Ref-1), a redox signaling protein, regulates the DNA binding activity of several transcription factors, including HIF-1. The conversion of HIF-1 from an oxidized to reduced state leads to enhancement of its DNA binding. In our previously published work, knockdown of Ref-1 under normoxia resulted in altered gene expression patterns on pathways including EIF2, protein kinase A, and mTOR. In this study, single cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) and proteomics were used to explore the effects of Ref-1 on metabolic pathways under hypoxia.Results: We also integrated the scRNA data analysis with the proteomic analysis and found that the differentially expressed genes and pathways identified from the scRNA-seq data are highly consistent to the significant proteins observed in the proteomics data, especially for the upregulated cell cycle and transcription pathways and downregulated metabolic, apoptosis and signaling pathways under hypoxia. Conclusion: The scRNA-seq and proteomics data consistently demonstrated down-regulated central metabolism pathways in APE1/Ref-1 knockdown vs scrambled control under both normoxia and hypoxia conditions. Experimental Methods: scRNA-seq comparing pancreatic cancer cells expressing less than 20% of the Ref-1 protein was analyzed using left truncated mixture Gaussian model. Matched samples were also collected for bulk proteomic analysis of the four conditions. scRNA-seq data was validated using proteomics and qRT-PCR. Ref-1’s role in mitochondrial function was confirmed using mitochondrial function assays and qRT-PCR. Results: We also integrated the scRNA data analysis with the proteomic analysis and found that the differentially expressed genes and pathways identified from the scRNA-seq data are highly consistent to the significant proteins observed in the proteomics data, especially for the upregulated cell cycle and transcription pathways and downregulated metabolic, apoptosis and signaling pathways under hypoxia. Conclusion: The scRNA-seq and proteomics data consistently demonstrated down-regulated central metabolism pathways in APE1/Ref-1 knockdown vs scrambled control under both normoxia and hypoxia conditions.
Project description:We used single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA seq) to elucidate the alterations of tumor microenvironment upon combined treatment of lenvatinib and palbociclib (combo).
Project description:CD45+ cells were extracted from mouse HCC model with or without treatment of anti-CD40 and cabozantinib for the scRNA-seq processing.
Project description:Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a progressive lung disease characterized by repetitive alveolar injuries with excessive deposition of extracellular matrix (ECM) proteins. A crucial need in understanding IPF pathogenesis is identifying cell types associated with histopathological regions, particularly local fibrosis centers known as fibroblast foci. To address this, we integrated published spatial transcriptomics and single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) transcriptomics and adopted the Query method and the Overlap method to determine cell type enrichments in histopathological regions. Distinct fibroblast cell types are highly associated with fibroblast foci, and transitional alveolar type 2 and aberrant KRT5-/KRT17+ epithelial cells are associated with morphologically normal alveoli in human IPF lungs. Furthermore, we employed laser capture microdissection directed mass spectrometry to profile proteins. By comparing with another published similar dataset, common differentially expressed proteins and enriched pathways related to ECM structure organization and collagen processing were identified in fibroblast foci. Importantly, cell type enrichment results from innovative spatial proteomics and scRNA-seq data integration accord with those from spatial transcriptomics and scRNA-seq data integration, supporting the capability and versatility of the entire approach. In summary, we integrated spatial multi-omics with scRNA-seq data to identify disease-associated cell types and potential targets for novel therapies in IPF intervention. The approach can be further applied to other disease areas characterized by spatial heterogeneity.
Project description:Energy metabolism and extracellular matrix function are closely connected to orchestrate and maintain tissue organization, but the crosstalk is poorly understood. Here, we used scRNA-seq analysis to uncover the importance of respiration for extracellular matrix homeostasis in mature cartilage. Genetic inhibition of respiration in cartilage results in the expansion of a central area of 1-month-old mouse femur head cartilage showing disorganized chondrocytes and increased deposition of extracellular matrix material. scRNA-seq analysis identified a cluster-specific decrease in mitochondrial DNA-encoded respiratory chain genes and a unique regulation of extracellular matrix-related genes in nonarticular chondrocyte clusters. These changes were associated with alterations in extracellular matrix composition, a shift in the collagen/non-collagen protein content and an increase of collagen crosslinking and ECM stiffness. The results demonstrate, based on findings of the scRNA-seq analysis, that respiration is a key factor contributing to ECM integrity and mechanostability in cartilage and presumably also in many other tissues.
Project description:We performed single cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) of human fetal duodenal tissue samples from a single individual biological specimen at 70 days post-conception (DPC). The data set is composed of cells from diverse intestinal lineages. Lineages captured include epithelium, mesenchyme, immune, neurons, and endothelium. These data were used to specifically interrogate the development and emergence of mesenchymal lineages during human development. This data was combined with previously published data from our lab (E-MTAB-9489, E-MTAB-10187, and E-MTAB-9906) to generate an scRNA-seq database of human small intestinal development.
Project description:<p>Metabolic and inflammatory diseases often coexist, and become important challenges facing global health, and obesity has shown to be a susceptibility factor for osteoarthritis (OA). As a metabolic regulatory drug for lowering blood sugar and body weight, semaglutide has shown additional therapeutic effects in OA, but the underlying mechanism requires further investigation. Here we employed cross-tissue single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) analysis, and found that semaglutide significantly improved metabolic disorders in muscle tissue under high-fat diet (HFD) and OA conditions in mice. The results of scRNA-seq and mitochondrial proteomics indicated that semaglutide targeted muscle mitochondria to regulate glutamate metabolism during OA. Intriguingly, intramuscular injection of semaglutide pre-stimulated mitochondria from muscle stem cell could significantly alleviate OA inflammation and pain symptoms. These findings reveal the mitochondrial regulatory mechanism in the muscle-OA axis, and provide a new perspective for the application of semaglutide in OA treatment.</p>
Project description:Abstract: Chronic liver disease and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) are life-threatening with limited treatment options. The lack of clinically relevant/tractable experimental models hampers therapeutic discovery. We developed a simple and robust human liver cell-based system modeling a clinical prognostic liver signature (PLS) predicting long-term liver disease progression toward HCC. Using the PLS as a readout, followed by validation in NASH-HCC animal models and patient-derived tumorspheroids, we identified nizatidine, a histamine receptor H2 (HRH2) blocker, for treatment of advanced liver disease and HCC chemoprevention. Perturbation studies combined with scRNA-Seq analyses of patient liver tissues uncovered HRH2+, CLEC5Ahigh, MARCOlow liver macrophages and hepatocytes as nizatidine targets. The PLS model combined with scRNA-Seq of patient tissues enables discovery of urgently needed targets and therapeutics for treatment of advanced liver disease and cancer prevention.