For a study, it was determined that the respiratory tract is a complex line of defense that relies on a distinct cellular environment. Using single-cell RNA profiling, researchers investigated cell population distributions and transcriptional alterations along the airways. They used Single-cell RNA profiling to investigate the cellular heterogeneity of the human airway epithelium in ten healthy live volunteers. About 77,969 cells were collected from the nose to the 12th division of the airway tree in 35 different places. The generated atlas had a high percentage of epithelial cells (89.1%), as well as immunological (6.2%) and stromal (4.7%) cells in different locations of the airways, with varied cellular proportions. It showed that identical cell types (suprabasal, secretory, and multiciliated cells) from the nose (MUC4, PI3, SIX3) and tracheobronchial (SCGB1A1, TFF3) airways had distinct gene expression. Cell-type–specific gene expression, on the other hand, was consistent across all tracheobronchial samples. Ionocytes, pulmonary neuroendocrine cells, and brush cells were better described in the atlas, and a similar population of NREP-positive cells was discovered. They also discovered that KRT13 was associated with dividing cells that resemble previously characterized mouse “hillock” cells, as well as squamous cells that express SCEL and SPRR1A/B. The detailed analysis of a single-cell cohort in healthy airways was a significant resource for future research. The detailed description of the continuum that exists from the nasal epithelium to successive divisions of the airways and the consistent gene expression profile of these regions allows for the development of meaningful tracheobronchial proxies for human respiratory illnesses.
Reference:www.atsjournals.org/doi/full/10.1164/rccm.201911-2199OC
