Pluto Bioinformatics

GSE123405: Single cell RNA-sequencing Identification of Novel Cell-specific Expression of Lung Disease-related Genes in the Human Small Airway Epithelium

Bulk RNA sequencing

The human small airway epithelium (SAE) plays a central role in the early events in the pathogenesis of most chronic inherited and acquired lung disorders. Little is known about the molecular phenotypes of the specific cell populations comprising the SAE, and the contribution of specific cell populations to the pathogenesis of human disease.; There was cell type-specific expression of the genes relevant to the pathogenesis of the inherited pulmonary disorders, genes associated with risk of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), and (non-mutated) driver genes for lung cancers. Some unexpected observations included high expression of CFTR (cystic fibrosis) and SCNN1A and B (bronchiectasis) in ionocytes, DTNBP1 (Hermansky-Pudlak syndrome) in mast cells, FAM13A (COPD) in neuroendocrine cells, RIN3 (COPD) in mast cells, NSPA1L (IPF) in neuroendocrine cells and a variety of lung cancer-related genes expressed in different cell types that, if mutated, become driver genes. Cigarette smoking significantly altered the cell-specific transcriptome of the different cell populations. Many of the genes relevant to the hereditary and acquired disorders exhibited cell-specific modulation by cigarette smoking, including MUC5B (IPF) down-regulation specifically in intermediate, club and mucus-producing cells and SFTPB (surfactant deficiency) up-regulation in ionocytes. SOURCE: Yael Strulovici-Barel (yas2003@med.cornell.edu) - Crystal Weill Cornell Medical College