Cited by 896Asthma and respiratory diseasesSingle-cell and spatial transcriptomicsIL-33, ST2, and ILC Pathways

A cellular census of human lungs identifies novel cell states in health and in asthma

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Vieira Braga, Felipe A., Kar, Gozde, Berg, Marijn, Carpaij, Orestes A., Polanski, Krzysztof, Simon, Lukas M., Brouwer, Sharon, Gomes, Tomás +27 more·2019·Nature Medicine

Abstract

Human lungs enable efficient gas exchange and form an interface with the environment, which depends on mucosal immunity for protection against infectious agents. Tightly controlled interactions between structural and immune cells are required to maintain lung homeostasis. Here, we use single-cell transcriptomics to chart the cellular landscape of upper and lower airways and lung parenchyma in healthy lungs, and lower airways in asthmatic lungs. We report location-dependent airway epithelial cell states and a novel subset of tissue-resident memory T cells. In the lower airways of patients with asthma, mucous cell hyperplasia is shown to stem from a novel mucous ciliated cell state, as well as goblet cell hyperplasia. We report the presence of pathogenic effector type 2 helper T cells (T H 2) in asthmatic lungs and find evidence for type 2 cytokines in maintaining the altered epithelial cell states. Unbiased analysis of cell-cell interactions identifies a shift from airway structural cell communication in healthy lungs to a T H 2-dominated interactome in asthmatic lungs.

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Crossref · 10.1038/s41591-019-0468-5

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Authors
Vieira Braga, F. A., Kar, G., Berg, M., Carpaij, O. A., Polanski, K., Simon, L. M., Brouwer, S., Gomes, T., Hesse, L., Jiang, J., Fasouli, E. S., Efremova, M., Vento-Tormo, R., Talavera-López, C., Jonker, M. R., Affleck, K., Palit, S., Strzelecka, P. M., Firth, H. V., Mahbubani, K. T., Cvejic, A., Meyer, K. B., Saeb-Parsy, K., Luinge, M., Brandsma, C.-A., Timens, W., Angelidis, I., Strunz, M., Koppelman, G. H., van Oosterhout, A. J., Schiller, H. B., Theis, F. J., van den Berge, M., Nawijn, M. C., & Teichmann, S. A.
Affiliations
  • Wellcome Sanger Institute (GB)
  • University Medical Center Groningen (NL)
  • Helmholtz Munich (DE)
  • GlaxoSmithKline (United Kingdom) (GB)
  • Wellcome/MRC Cambridge Stem Cell Institute (GB)
  • University of Cambridge (GB)
Corresponding author
  • Nawijn, Martijn C.
  • Teichmann, Sarah A.
Venue
Nature Medicine
Published
2019-06-17
Volume
25
Issue
7
Pages
1153-1163
ISSN
  • 1078-8956 (ISSN-L)
  • 1546-170X
OpenAlex
W2950891712
Cited by
896
References
54
Citations by year
2026: 74 · 2025: 107 · 2024: 122 · 2023: 125 · 2022: 156 · 2021: 164 · 2020: 127 · 2019: 20
FWCI
80.09
Type
journal article
Language
en
Locations
  • Nature Medicine (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • Data Archiving and Networked Services (DANS) (submittedVersion)
  • Site cant be reached (submittedVersion, other-oa)
  • Pure Amsterdam UMC (submittedVersion, other-oa)
  • University of Groningen research database (University of Groningen / Centre for Information Technology) (submittedVersion, other-oa)
  • PuSH - Publication Server of Helmholtz Zentrum München (submittedVersion)
  • Queen Mary Research Online (Queen Mary University of London) (submittedVersion)
  • VUBIR (Vrije Universiteit Brussel) (submittedVersion)
  • Apollo (University of Cambridge) (submittedVersion)
  • Apollo
Funders
  • GlaxoSmithKline
  • Wellcome Trust (211276/Z/18/Z)
  • Universitair Medisch Centrum Groningen
  • Medical Research Council (MC_PC_12009)
Topics
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Physiology › Asthma and respiratory diseases
  • Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Molecular Biology › Single-cell and spatial transcriptomics
  • Life Sciences › Immunology and Microbiology › Immunology › IL-33, ST2, and ILC Pathways
Keywords
asthma, goblet cell hyperplasia, tissue-resident memory T cells, Th2 cells, type 2 cytokines, cell-cell interactions, CD4+ T cells, upper and lower airways, lung parenchyma, mucosal immunity, lung homeostasis
MeSH terms
Adult, Aged, Asthma, Cell Communication, Epithelial Cells, Female, Humans, Lung, Male, Metaplasia, Middle Aged, CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes, Th2 Cells, Goblet Cells, Genome-Wide Association Study, Transcriptome

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