Single cell RNA sequencing of human eosinophils from nasal polyps reveals eosinophil heterogeneity in chronic rhinosinusitis tissue - 13/06/24

Doi : 10.1016/j.jaci.2024.05.014

Naruhito Iwasaki, MD, PhD ^a, Julie A. Poposki, MS ^a, Aiko Oka, MD, PhD ^a, Masanori Kidoguchi, MD, PhD ^a, Aiko I. Klingler, PhD ^a, Lydia A. Suh, MS ^a, Junqin Bai, PhD ^b, Whitney W. Stevens, MD, PhD ^a, Anju T. Peters, MD ^a, Leslie C. Grammer, MD ^a, Kevin C. Welch, MD ^b, Stephanie S. Smith, MD ^b, David B. Conley, MD ^b, Robert P. Schleimer, PhD ^a,^b, Robert C. Kern, MD ^a,^b, Bruce S. Bochner, MD ^a, Bruce K. Tan, MD, MS ^b, Atsushi Kato, PhD ^a,^b,^⁎
^a Department of Medicine, Division of Allergy and Immunology, Chicago, Ill
^b Department of Otolaryngology, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, Ill

^∗Corresponding author: Atsushi Kato, PhD, Division of Allergy and Immunology, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, 240 E Huron, Rm M304, Chicago, IL 60611.Division of Allergy and ImmunologyNorthwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine240 E HuronRm M304ChicagoIL60611

Sous presse. Épreuves corrigées par l'auteur. Disponible en ligne depuis le Thursday 13 June 2024

Graphical abstract

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Abstract

Background

Chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps (CRSwNP) is characterized by type 2 inflammation in the United States, but the actual roles that eosinophils play in CRSwNP remain largely unclear.

Objective

To reveal the roles and heterogeneity of eosinophils in nasal polyp (NP) tissue, we performed single cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-Seq) analysis of NP tissue.

Methods

Sinonasal tissues (NP and control sinus tissue) and patient matched peripheral blood (PB) samples were obtained from 5 control patients and 5 patients with CRSwNP. Eosinophils were enriched before processing for scRNA-Seq. The gene expression profiles in eosinophils were determined by microwell-based scRNA-Seq technology (BD Rhapsody platform). We predicted the overall function of NP eosinophils by Gene Ontology (geneontology.org) enrichment and pathway analyses and confirmed expression of selected genes by flow cytometry.

Results

After filtering out contaminating cells, we detected 5,542 eosinophils from control PB, 3,883 eosinophils from CRSwNP PB, 101 eosinophils from control sinus tissues (not included in further analyses), and 9,727 eosinophils from NPs by scRNA-Seq. We found that 204 genes were downregulated and 354 genes upregulated in NP eosinophils compared to all PB eosinophils (>1.5-fold, P_adj < .05). Upregulated genes in NP eosinophils were associated with activation, cytokine-mediated signaling, growth factor activity, NF-κB signaling, and antiapoptotic molecules. NP eosinophils displayed 4 clusters revealing potential heterogeneity of eosinophils in NP tissue.

Conclusions

Elevated eosinophils in NP tissue appear to exist in several subtypes that may play important pathogenic roles in CRSwNP, in part by controlling inflammation and hyperproliferation of other cells.

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Key words : Eosinophils, scRNA-Seq, nasal polyps, chronic rhinosinusitis, growth factor

Abbreviations used : AREG, CLC, CRS, CRSwNP, DEG, EREG, GM-CSF, GO, ICAM-1, INHBA, KEGG, NF-κB, NP, OLR1, PB, PLAUR, QC, scRNA-Seq, UMAP, VEGFA