Single-cell RNA sequencing of intestinal immune cells in neonatal necrotizing enterocolitis
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In brief
In brief
This study used single-cell RNA sequencing to compare intestinal immune responses in neonates with and without necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC). NEC patients showed heightened inflammatory signaling in T cells, with upregulation of MTOR, TNF-α, and MYC pathways, suggesting immune dysregulation contributes to disease pathogenesis.
Written by the GCMD Library team from the article.
Abstract
Purpose
Necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) causes fatal intestinal necrosis in neonates, but its etiology is unknown. We analyzed the intestinal immune response to NEC.
Methods
Using single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq), we analyzed the gene expression profiles of intestinal immune cells from four neonates with intestinal perforation (two with NEC and two without NEC). Target mononuclear cells were extracted from the lamina propria of the resected intestines.
Results
In all four cases, major immune cells, such as T cells (15.1–47.7%), B cells (3.1–19.0%), monocytes (16.5–31.2%), macrophages (1.6–17.4%), dendritic cells (2.4–12.2%), and natural killer cells (7.5–12.8%), were present in similar proportions to those in the neonatal cord blood. Gene set enrichment analysis showed that the MTOR, TNF-α, and MYC signaling pathways were enriched in T cells of the NEC patients, suggesting upregulated immune responses related to inflammation and cell proliferation. In addition, all four cases exhibited a bias toward cell-mediated inflammation, based on the predominance of T helper 1 cells.
Conclusion
Intestinal immunity in NEC subjects exhibited stronger inflammatory responses compared to non-NEC subjects. Further scRNA-seq and cellular analysis may improve our understanding of the pathogenesis of NEC.