Altered Monocyte Subsets in Kawasaki Disease Revealed by Single-cell RNA-Sequencing
Zhimin Geng, Yijing Tao, Fenglei Zheng, Linlin Wu, Ying Wang, Yujia Wang, Yameng Sun, Songling Fu, Wei Wang, Chunhong Xie, Yiying Zhang, Fangqi Gong
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Kawasaki disease (KD) is characterized by a disorder of immune response, and its etiology remains unknown. Monocyte is an important member of the body's innate immune system; however its role in KD is still elusive due to its ambiguous heterogeneity and complex functions. We aim to comprehensively delineate monocyte heterogeneity in healthy and KD infants and to reveal the underlying mechanism for KD. METHODS: Peripheral monocytes were enriched from peripheral blood samples of two healthy infants and two KD infants. scRNA-seq was performed to acquire the transcriptomic atlas of monocytes. Bio-information analysis was utilized to identify monocyte subsets and explore their functions and differentiation states. SELL+CD14+CD16- monocytes were validated using flow cytometry. RESULTS: CD16+ monocytes. Cell trajectory analysis revealed that the three monocyte subsets represent a linear differentiation, and possess different biological functions. Furthermore, SELL+CD14+CD16- monocytes, which were poorly differentiated and relating to neutrophil activation, were found to be expanded in KD. CONCLUSION: Our findings provide a valuable resource for deciphering the monocyte heterogeneity in healthy infants and uncover the altered monocyte subsets in KD patients, suggesting potential biomarkers for KD diagnosis and treatment.