Project description:Purpose: To better characterise the population structure of primary bovine retinal microvascular endothelial cells (RMECs) based upon their individual transcriptomes. Methods: Individual RMECs were captured on the Fluidigm C1 system (Fluidigm), cDNA libraries were prepared using a Nextera XT kit and sequencing performed on a NextSeq (Illumina). Results: Application of a single cell RNA-seq analysis workflow showed that RMECs form a relatively homogeneous population in culture, with the main subgroup being proliferating cells. Expression of markers from along the arteriovenous tree suggests that most cells originate from capillaries. An in silico model of the blood retinal barrier was created, including junctional proteins not previously reported within the retinal vasculature. Numerous alternative splicing events involving exons within microvascular barrier genes were observed and in many cases individual cells expressed exclusively one isoform. Conclusions: We have optimised a workflow for single-cell transcriptomics in primary RMECs. Our results have provided fundamental insights into the genes involved in retinal microvascular barrier formation.
Project description:Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are key mediators of intercellular communication, and often play critical roles in host-parasite interactions by facilitating parasite’s physiology and pathogenesis. Theileria annulata, an apicomplexan parasite, induces profound changes in host cells, leading to uncontrolled proliferation, apoptosis resistance, and increased invasiveness. In this study, we performed the comprehensive proteomic and small RNA analysis of EVs isolated from a T. annulata Kashi isolate-infected bovine lymphocyte cell line (TaXJS), B cell line (TaBC), dendritic cell line (TaDC), and from the sera of cattle before and after infection. Our label-free LC-MS/MS proteomics identified 2580 proteins, while small RNA sequencing revealed 6635 miRNAs associated with parasite development, host invasion, and immune evasion. Functional enrichment analyses recognized vesicular components involved in key pathways of the parasite-host such as ECM-receptor interaction, oxidative phosphorylation, and proton transport. These findings highlight the potential of Theileria-derived EVs in modulating host responses and their potential as therapeutic and vaccine targets.