Dissecting the Mechanisms of Intestinal Immune Homeostasis by Analyzing T-Cell Immune Response in Crohn's Disease and Colorectal Cancer


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Abstract

Introduction:Crohn's disease (CD) and colorectal cancer (CRC) represent a group of intestinal disorders characterized by intricate pathogenic mechanisms linked to the disruption of intestinal immune homeostasis. Therefore, comprehending the immune response mechanisms in both categories of intestinal disorders is of paramount significance in the prevention and treatment of these debilitating intestinal ailments.

Method:In this study, we conducted single-cell analysis on paired samples obtained from primary colorectal tumors and individuals with Crohn's disease, which was aimed at deciphering the factors influencing the composition of the intestinal immune microenvironment. By aligning T cells across different tissues, we identified various T cell subtypes, such as γδ T cell, NK T cell, and regulatory T (Treg) cell, which maintained immune system homeostasis and were confirmed in enrichment analyses. Subsequently, we generated pseudo-time trajectories for subclusters of T cells in both syndromes to delineate their differentiation patterns and identify key driver genes.

Result:Furthermore, cellular communication and transcription factor regulatory networks are all essential components of the intricate web of mechanisms that regulate intestinal immune homeostasis. The identified complex cellular interaction suggested potential T-lineage immunotherapeutic targets against epithelial cells with high copy number variation (CNV) levels in CD and CRC.

Conclusion:Finally, the analysis of regulon networks revealed several promising candidates for cell-specific transcription factors (TFs). This study focused on the immune molecular mechanism under intestinal diseases. It contributed to the novel insight of depicting a detailed immune landscape and revealing T-cell responding mechanisms in CD and CRC.

About the authors

Tianming Jiang

Department of General Surgery, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University

Email: info@benthamscience.net

Jie Zheng

Department of Environmental Health Sciences, Yale School of Public Health, Yale University

Email: info@benthamscience.net

Nana Li

Department of General Surgery, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University

Email: info@benthamscience.net

Xiaodong Li

Department of General Surgery, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University

Email: info@benthamscience.net

Jixing He

Department of General Surgery, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University

Email: info@benthamscience.net

Junde Zhou

Department of General Surgery, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University

Email: info@benthamscience.net

Boshi Sun

Department of General Surgery, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University

Author for correspondence.
Email: info@benthamscience.net

Qiang Chi

Department of General Surgery, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University

Author for correspondence.
Email: info@benthamscience.net

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