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Single-cell transcriptional profiling of human thymic stroma uncovers novel cellular heterogeneity in the thymic medulla.

Publication ,  Journal Article
Bautista, JL; Cramer, NT; Miller, CN; Chavez, J; Berrios, DI; Byrnes, LE; Germino, J; Ntranos, V; Sneddon, JB; Burt, TD; Gardner, JM; Ye, CJ ...
Published in: Nat Commun
February 17, 2021

The thymus' key function in the immune system is to provide the necessary environment for the development of diverse and self-tolerant T lymphocytes. While recent evidence suggests that the thymic stroma is comprised of more functionally distinct subpopulations than previously appreciated, the extent of this cellular heterogeneity in the human thymus is not well understood. Here we use single-cell RNA sequencing to comprehensively profile the human thymic stroma across multiple stages of life. Mesenchyme, pericytes and endothelial cells are identified as potential key regulators of thymic epithelial cell differentiation and thymocyte migration. In-depth analyses of epithelial cells reveal the presence of ionocytes as a medullary population, while the expression of tissue-specific antigens is mapped to different subsets of epithelial cells. This work thus provides important insight on how the diversity of thymic cells is established, and how this heterogeneity contributes to the induction of immune tolerance in humans.

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Published In

Nat Commun

DOI

EISSN

2041-1723

Publication Date

February 17, 2021

Volume

12

Issue

1

Start / End Page

1096

Location

England

Related Subject Headings

  • Thymus Gland
  • Thymocytes
  • T-Lymphocytes
  • Single-Cell Analysis
  • Pericytes
  • Mice
  • Mesoderm
  • Humans
  • Genetic Heterogeneity
  • Gene Expression Profiling
 

Citation

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Bautista, J. L., Cramer, N. T., Miller, C. N., Chavez, J., Berrios, D. I., Byrnes, L. E., … Parent, A. V. (2021). Single-cell transcriptional profiling of human thymic stroma uncovers novel cellular heterogeneity in the thymic medulla. Nat Commun, 12(1), 1096. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-021-21346-6
Bautista, Jhoanne L., Nathan T. Cramer, Corey N. Miller, Jessica Chavez, David I. Berrios, Lauren E. Byrnes, Joe Germino, et al. “Single-cell transcriptional profiling of human thymic stroma uncovers novel cellular heterogeneity in the thymic medulla.Nat Commun 12, no. 1 (February 17, 2021): 1096. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-021-21346-6.
Bautista JL, Cramer NT, Miller CN, Chavez J, Berrios DI, Byrnes LE, et al. Single-cell transcriptional profiling of human thymic stroma uncovers novel cellular heterogeneity in the thymic medulla. Nat Commun. 2021 Feb 17;12(1):1096.
Bautista, Jhoanne L., et al. “Single-cell transcriptional profiling of human thymic stroma uncovers novel cellular heterogeneity in the thymic medulla.Nat Commun, vol. 12, no. 1, Feb. 2021, p. 1096. Pubmed, doi:10.1038/s41467-021-21346-6.
Bautista JL, Cramer NT, Miller CN, Chavez J, Berrios DI, Byrnes LE, Germino J, Ntranos V, Sneddon JB, Burt TD, Gardner JM, Ye CJ, Anderson MS, Parent AV. Single-cell transcriptional profiling of human thymic stroma uncovers novel cellular heterogeneity in the thymic medulla. Nat Commun. 2021 Feb 17;12(1):1096.

Published In

Nat Commun

DOI

EISSN

2041-1723

Publication Date

February 17, 2021

Volume

12

Issue

1

Start / End Page

1096

Location

England

Related Subject Headings

  • Thymus Gland
  • Thymocytes
  • T-Lymphocytes
  • Single-Cell Analysis
  • Pericytes
  • Mice
  • Mesoderm
  • Humans
  • Genetic Heterogeneity
  • Gene Expression Profiling