Dataset Information

Bulk RNAseq of Aire-Expressing Cells from Pregnant vs Virgin Mice

ABSTRACT: We had previously found that ablating autoimmune regulator (Aire)-expressing cells during pregnancy lead to fetal loss, intruterine growth restriction, and the specific expansion of Tfh populations. To investigate transcriptional changes in Aire+ cells, specifically in medullary thymic epithelial cells (mTECs) and extrathymic Aire-expressing cells (eTACs), we used the Aire-Driven Igrp-GFP (Adig) reporter mouse. We sorted mTECs and eTACs from virgin Adig females and E9.5 pregnant Adig dams for bulk RNA sequencing. While we found no differences in the frequency or absolute number of mTECs or eTACs, or of Aire expression in mTECs or eTACs during pregnancy, we did find a significant number of differentially expressed (DE) transcripts during pregnancy in splenic eTACs, and almost no changes in mTECs. Pathway analysis of splenic DE genes revealed enrichment for erythrocyte development and included a number of putative PAAs such as embryonic hemoglobin theta. While these transcriptional changes may represent eTAC-intrinsic expression of PAAs, pregnancy also causes increased maternal hematopoiesis as well as passage of fetal nucleated RBCs into the maternal circulation and the immunologic relevance of this phenomenon requires further study.

ORGANISM(S): Mus musculus

PROVIDER: GSE174730 | GEO | 2021/05/21

REPOSITORIES: GEO

ACCESS DATA

Dataset's files

Source:

			Action	DRS
		Other

Items per page:

1 - 1 of 1

Similar Datasets

Project description:Adaptive immunity requires multiple complementary mechanisms to maintain self-tolerance. Dedicated tolerogenic lymphoid populations and their key transcriptional regulators have been well characterized, but while recent evidence suggests some myeloid populations, particularly migratory dendritic cells (migDCs), may have similar functions, the identity of these populations and the transcriptional circuits regulating them remain obscure. The Autoimmune Regulator (Aire), well defined in medullary thymic epithelial cells (mTECs), is also expressed in extrathymic Aire-expressing cells (eTACs) in the secondary lymphoid organs. eTACs have been shown to have tolerogenic capabilities (ref), and recently work has shown them to be required for normal immune homeostasis in pregnancy (ref). But the precise identity and function of these cells remain unclear. Here using high-dimensional single-cell multiomics (scRNAseq/ASAPseq), we define the identity and biology of the principal extrathymic Aire-expressing populations at the transcriptional, genomic, and proteomic level, resulting in two related populations: CCR7+ Aire-regulated migratory dendritic cells (ArmDCs) and a novel population co-expressing RAR-related orphan receptor gamma-t (ROR-γt), with significant transcriptional and genomic homology to both migDCs and mTECs, which we termed Janus cells (JCs). We demonstrate these eTAC populations share a distinct transcriptional and genomic homology to medullary epithelium and, like mTECs, depend on RANK-RANK-ligand interactions to drive Aire expression. Lineage-tracing experiments suggest JCs are not a precursor population to the majority of ArmDCs. Further, self-antigen display by eTACs is sufficient to mediate negative selection of T cells that escape thymic selection. This remarkable central and peripheral homology suggests that a core Aire-associated transcriptional program may drive immune tolerance in both the thymus and periphery, and suggests a remarkable convergence of transcriptional programs in two disparate cell lineages in the thymus and periphery.

Dataset Information

Bulk RNAseq of Aire-Expressing Cells from Pregnant vs Virgin Mice

Dataset's files

Similar Datasets

OmicsDI is part of the ELIXIR infrastructure

Tweets