Project description:Maintenance of tissue-specific immunity is important for immunological fitness, but its establishment have been difficult to assess in humans. Here, we investigated reconstitution of the human uterine immune system by studying women undergoing uterus solid organ transplantation (UTx) or hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT). Through single-cell identification based on SNPs and disparate HLA expression using single-cell RNA sequencing or high-parameter flow cytometry, donor vs recipient cell origin was determined, and features of these cells were studied. Endometrial immune cell reconstitution occurred after both UTx and HSCT, at the transcriptomic, phenotypic, and spatial level. This occurred despite tacrolimus-induced calcineurin-mediated NFAT pathway inhibition, which affected de novo induction of tissue-residency features in vitro. Intriguingly, after HSCT, immune cells of male origin could reconstitute the endometrium. Collectively, our results proved insights into tissue immune system persistence and reconstitution capabilities in an organ undergoing continuous regeneration.
Project description:There is a close relationship between pregnancy and immune responses. For example, an anti-inflammatory state is essential for maintaining pregnancy by promoting maternal tolerance toward the semi-allogeneic fetus, whereas pro-inflammatory conditions are crucial for processes such as maternal tissue remodeling during embryo implantation and the induction of labor. Increasing evidence suggests that various cell types within the uteroplacental immune environment contribute to these immune responses, and immunological approaches have been employed to investigate the pathophysiology and potential treatments of pregnancy-related complications. Interleukin-18 (IL-18) is a unique cytokine with both pro-inflammatory and anti-inflammatory properties; however, its roles during pregnancy remain largely unclear. We have found that smooth muscle cells (SMCs) in the uterine myometrium are an important source of IL-18, and that the homeostatic production of IL-18 promotes fetal development by supporting maternal uterine remodeling and placental growth. To further investigate the effects of IL-18 on the uterine immune milieu, we established SMC-specific Il18 conditional knockout (cKO) mice and performed RNA sequencing of uterine immune cells.
Project description:We used trophoblast organoids differentiating to extravillous trophoblast (EVT) to study the effects of key cytokines secreted by uterine Natural Killer (uNK) cells on EVT behaviour. Specifically, we exposed the organoids to four uNK-derived cytokines (CSF1, CSF2, XCL1, CCL5) and collected cells at different time points along the EVT differentiation pathway for scRNA-seq. We observe enhanced EVT differentiation in cytokine-treated organoids demonstrated by the increased proportion of late EVT subtypes and regulation of related pathways such as epithelial-mesenchymal transition. Moreover, uNK cytokines affect other processes important during early pregnancy including dampening of inflammatory and adaptive immune responses, regulation of blood flow, and placental access to nutrients.
Project description:Tracing the hematopoietic regeneration of HSC clones by coupling single HSC transplantation and single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) of clone-derived cells from 1 to 12 months after transplantation.
Project description:Restoration of hematopoiesis upon bone marrow (BM) transplantation relies on the engraftment, expansion and function of transplanted hematopoietic stem cells (HSC). However, the number of donorâderived HSC typically remain much below that present in normal individuals and this likely limits and delays hematopoietic recovery. HSC depend on supportive stromal niches, however, whether the preâconditioning required for BM transplantation damages this stromal niche has not been evaluated extensively. Using mouse models, we now find that that BM stroma cells (BMSC) are severely and permanently damaged by preâconditioning. Transplantation of primary but not cultured BMSC quantitatively reconstitutes stroma function in vivo, which is mediated by a multipotent CD73+ CD105â Sca1+ BMSC subpopulation. BMSC coâtransplantation significantly ameliorates clinical side effects of BM transplantation and doubles expansion of functional, donorâ derived HSC, demonstrating the potential of stroma transplantation to improve HSC transplantation. Purified CD45âTer119âCD73+ CD105â and CD45âTer119âCD73+ CD105+ cells were directly sorted on lysis buffer with FACS Aria 2 in triplicate.
Project description:Hematopoietic aging is characterized by chronic inflammation associated with myeloid bias, HSC accumulation, and functional HSC impairment. Yet it remains unclear how inflammation promotes aging phenotypes. NFκB both responds to and directs inflammation, and we present an experimental model of elevated NFκB activity (“IκB–”) to dissect its role in hematopoietic aging phenotypes. We find that while elevated NFκB activity is not sufficient for HSC accumulation, HSC-autonomous NFκB activity impairs their functionality, leading to reduced bone marrow reconstitution. In contrast, myeloid bias is driven by the IκB– proinflammatory bone marrow milieu as observed functionally, epigenomically, and transcriptomically. A scRNA-seq HSPC labeling framework enables comparisons with aged murine and human HSC datasets, documenting an association between HSC-intrinsic NFκB activity and quiescence, but not myeloid bias. These findings delineate separate regulatory mechanisms that underlie the three hallmarks of hematopoietic aging, suggesting that they are specifically and independently therapeutically targetable.