Cited by 157Single-cell and spatial transcriptomicsNeuroinflammation and Neurodegeneration MechanismsMultiple Sclerosis Research Studies

Multiomic spatial landscape of innate immune cells at human central nervous system borders

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Sankowski, Roman, Süß, Patrick, Benkendorff, Alexander, Böttcher, Chotima, Fernandez-Zapata, Camila, Chhatbar, Chintan, Cahueau, Jonathan, Monaco, Gianni +12 more·2024·Nature Medicine

Abstract

The innate immune compartment of the human central nervous system (CNS) is highly diverse and includes several immune-cell populations such as macrophages that are frequent in the brain parenchyma (microglia) and less numerous at the brain interfaces as CNS-associated macrophages (CAMs). Due to their scantiness and particular location, little is known about the presence of temporally and spatially restricted CAM subclasses during development, health and perturbation. Here we combined single-cell RNA sequencing, time-of-flight mass cytometry and single-cell spatial transcriptomics with fate mapping and advanced immunohistochemistry to comprehensively characterize the immune system at human CNS interfaces with over 356,000 analyzed transcriptomes from 102 individuals. We also provide a comprehensive analysis of resident and engrafted myeloid cells in the brains of 15 individuals with peripheral blood stem cell transplantation, revealing compartment-specific engraftment rates across different CNS interfaces. Integrated multiomic and high-resolution spatial transcriptome analysis of anatomically dissected glioblastoma samples shows regionally distinct myeloid cell-type distributions driven by hypoxia. Notably, the glioblastoma-associated hypoxia response was distinct from the physiological hypoxia response in fetal microglia and CAMs. Our results highlight myeloid diversity at the interfaces of the human CNS with the periphery and provide insights into the complexities of the human brain’s immune system.

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Crossref · 10.1038/s41591-023-02673-1

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  • CAMs clear harmful substances through phagocytosis, antigen presentation, and cytokine production.

    “As immune surveillants, CAMs clear harmful substances through phagocytosis, antigen presentation, and cytokine production [364,368,371,372,373,374,375,376]”

    From Revisiting the Pathogenesis of X-Linked Adrenoleukodystrophy (2025) · cites this paper as [374]

    The Results section, “Multiomics reveal diversity of steady-state human CAMs” (page unavailable), reports MHC-II-associated and chemokine/cytokine-activity gene signatures in CAMs, consistent with antigen-presentation and cytokine-related roles. The copy does not show CAMs clearing harmful substances by phagocytosis, nor does it demonstrate that antigen presentation or cytokine production performs that clearance. (LLM, conf=0.84)

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Authors
Sankowski, R., Süß, P., Benkendorff, A., Böttcher, C., Fernandez-Zapata, C., Chhatbar, C., Cahueau, J., Monaco, G., Gasull, A. D., Khavaran, A., Grauvogel, J., Scheiwe, C., Shah, M. J., Heiland, D. H., Schnell, O., Markfeld-Erol, F., Kunze, M., Zeiser, R., Priller, J., & Prinz, M.
Affiliations
  • University of Freiburg (DE)
  • Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin (DE)
  • UK Dementia Research Institute (GB)
Corresponding author
  • Sankowski, Roman
  • Prinz, Marco
Venue
Nature Medicine
Published
2023-12-20
Volume
30
Issue
1
Pages
186-198
ISSN
  • 1078-8956 (ISSN-L)
  • 1546-170X
OpenAlex
W4390032293
Cited by
156
References
73
Citations by year
2026: 65 · 2025: 56 · 2024: 32 · 2023: 2 · 2016: 1
FWCI
13.81
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • Nature Medicine (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • MDC Repository (Max-Delbrueck-Center for Molecular Medicine) (acceptedVersion)
  • mediaTUM – the media and publications repository of the Technical University Munich (Technical University Munich) (submittedVersion)
  • DZNE Pub (submittedVersion, cc-by)
  • Edinburgh Research Explorer (University of Edinburgh) (submittedVersion, cc-by)
Funders
  • Wellcome Trust (MR/006237/1)
  • Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (CIBSS-EXC 2189, SFB-1160, TRR 359, SFB 992, EXC‐2189, 450392965, SFB-1479 –, CRC/TRR 167, 2021/B3-Fol, 441891347, TRR 265, 491676693, 390939984, 192904750, GRK 2162, 259373024, 505539112, 270949263, TRR 167, KFO5024)
  • Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung (01EO2103, EXC-2189, 390939984)
  • Albert-Ludwigs-Universität Freiburg (EXC-2189, 2021/B3-Fol, 2021/A2-Fol, 390939984)
  • Fritz Thyssen Stiftung
  • Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz Universität Hannover
  • Novo Nordisk
  • Roman, Marga und Mareille Sobek Stiftung
  • National Institutes of Health
  • Medical Research Council
  • Leibniz-Gemeinschaft
  • Medizinische Fakultät der Albert-Ludwigs-Universität Freiburg (2021/A2-Fol, 2021/B3-Fol)
  • HORIZON EUROPE European Research Council (101094168)
Topics
  • Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Molecular Biology › Single-cell and spatial transcriptomics
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Neurology › Neuroinflammation and Neurodegeneration Mechanisms
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Pathology and Forensic Medicine › Multiple Sclerosis Research Studies
Keywords
microglia, innate immune cells, peripheral blood stem cell transplantation, glioblastoma, tumor hypoxia, hypoxia response, fate mapping
MeSH terms
Multiomics, Hypoxia, Central Nervous System, Glioblastoma, Humans, Immunity, Innate, Microglia

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