Repository logo
 

Discovery of CD80 and CD86 as recent activation markers on regulatory T cells by protein-RNA single-cell analysis

Published version
Peer-reviewed

Change log

Authors

Trzupek, Dominik 
Dunstan, Melanie 
Cutler, Antony J. 
Lee, Mercede 
Godfrey, Leila 

Abstract

Abstract: Background: Traditionally, the transcriptomic and proteomic characterisation of CD4+ T cells at the single-cell level has been performed by two largely exclusive types of technologies: single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) and antibody-based cytometry. Here, we present a multi-omics approach allowing the simultaneous targeted quantification of mRNA and protein expression in single cells and investigate its performance to dissect the heterogeneity of human immune cell populations. Methods: We have quantified the single-cell expression of 397 genes at the mRNA level and up to 68 proteins using oligo-conjugated antibodies (AbSeq) in 43,656 primary CD4+ T cells isolated from the blood and 31,907 CD45+ cells isolated from the blood and matched duodenal biopsies. We explored the sensitivity of this targeted scRNA-seq approach to dissect the heterogeneity of human immune cell populations and identify trajectories of functional T cell differentiation. Results: We provide a high-resolution map of human primary CD4+ T cells and identify precise trajectories of Th1, Th17 and regulatory T cell (Treg) differentiation in the blood and tissue. The sensitivity provided by this multi-omics approach identified the expression of the B7 molecules CD80 and CD86 on the surface of CD4+ Tregs, and we further demonstrated that B7 expression has the potential to identify recently activated T cells in circulation. Moreover, we identified a rare subset of CCR9+ T cells in the blood with tissue-homing properties and expression of several immune checkpoint molecules, suggestive of a regulatory function. Conclusions: The transcriptomic and proteomic hybrid technology described in this study provides a cost-effective solution to dissect the heterogeneity of immune cell populations at extremely high resolution. Unexpectedly, CD80 and CD86, normally expressed on antigen-presenting cells, were detected on a subset of activated Tregs, indicating a role for these co-stimulatory molecules in regulating the dynamics of CD4+ T cell responses.

Description

Keywords

Research, Single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq), Multi-omics, CD4+ T cells, AbSeq, Immunophenotyping, CD80, CD86, Regulatory T cells (Tregs), C-C chemokine receptor type 9 (CCR9)

Journal Title

Genome Medicine

Conference Name

Journal ISSN

1756-994X

Volume Title

12

Publisher

BioMed Central
Sponsorship
Wellcome Trust (107212/A/15/Z)
Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation United States of America (1-SRA-2019-657-A-N, 4-SRA-2017-473-A-A, 4-2007-1003)