Project description:Monocytes and neutrophils are both myeloid cells that have the same progenitor, the granulocyte macrophage precursor (GMP). Neutrophils are mature innate cells that are phagocytes and can degranulate to mount an immune response, whereas monocytes are immature pluripotent cells that can differentiate into macrophages and dendritic cells that can phagocytose and present antigen. To compare the expression pattern and validate samples purity by comparing expression data with previously generated data for monocytes and neutrophils, we isolated monocytes (CD45+ CD64+ CD14+ CD16-) and neutrophils (CD66b+ CD16+) from eight healthy volunteers.
Project description:Intra-amniotic infection, the invasion of microbes into the amniotic cavity resulting in an inflammatory process, is a clinical condition that can lead to adverse pregnancy outcomes for the mother and fetus as well as severe long-term neonatal morbidities. Despite much research focused on the consequences of intra-amniotic infection, there is still little knowledge about the functional roles of innate immune cells that respond to invading microbes. In the current study, we performed RNA sequencing of sorted neutrophils and monocytes/macrophages from amniotic fluid from women with intra-amniotic infection to determine the transcriptomic differences between these innate immune cells. Further, we sought to identify specific transcriptomic pathways that were significantly altered by the maternal or fetal origin of amniotic fluid neutrophils and monocytes, the presence of a severe fetal inflammatory response, and pregnancy outcome (i.e. preterm or term delivery). We showed that significant transcriptomic differences exist between amniotic fluid neutrophils and monocytes/macrophages from women with intra-amniotic infection that are indicative of the distinct roles these cells play. We also found that amniotic fluid monocytes/macrophages of fetal origin display impaired ability to clear out microbes invading the amniotic cavity compared to those of maternal origin. Notably, we demonstrate that the transcriptomic changes in amniotic fluid monocytes/macrophages are heavily associated with the severity of the fetal inflammatory response, suggesting that the trafficking of fetal neutrophils throughout the umbilical cord is partially modulated by monocytes/macrophages in the amniotic cavity. Finally, we show that amniotic fluid neutrophils and monocytes/macrophages from preterm deliveries display enhanced transcriptomic activity compared to those from term deliveries, highlighting the protective role of these innate immune cells in this vulnerable period. Collectively, these findings demonstrate the underlying complexity of local innate immune responses in women with intra-amniotic infection, and provide new insights into the functions of amniotic fluid neutrophils and monocytes in the amniotic cavity.
Project description:To exclude any activation of neutrophils and monocytes by our targeting emulsions (mNPPFCs) we incubated murine and human neutrophils with them followed by RNA isolation and sequencing to look for possible upregulation