A multi-organ map of the human immune system across age, sex and ethnicity.
Stefano MangiolaM MiltonN RanathungaConnie Li Wai SuenA OdainicE YangW HutchisonAlexandra L GarnhamJ IskanderBhupinder PalVijay K YadavFernando J RosselloVincent J CareyMartin MorganSammy BedouiAxel KalliesAnthony T PapenfussPublished in: bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology (2024)
Understanding tissue biology's heterogeneity is crucial for advancing precision medicine. Despite the centrality of the immune system in tissue homeostasis, a detailed and comprehensive map of immune cell distribution and interactions across human tissues and demographics remains elusive. To fill this gap, we harmonised data from 12,981 single-cell RNA sequencing samples and curated 29 million cells from 45 anatomical sites to create a comprehensive compositional and transcriptional healthy map of the healthy immune system. We used this resource and a novel multilevel modelling approach to track immune ageing and test differences across sex and ethnicity. We uncovered conserved and tissue-specific immune-ageing programs, resolved sex-dependent differential ageing and identified ethnic diversity in clinically critical immune checkpoints. This study provides a quantitative baseline of the immune system, facilitating advances in precision medicine. By sharing our immune map, we hope to catalyse further breakthroughs in cancer, infectious disease, immunology and precision medicine.
Keyphrases
- single cell
- endothelial cells
- rna seq
- gene expression
- infectious diseases
- high density
- transcription factor
- induced pluripotent stem cells
- pluripotent stem cells
- electronic health record
- big data
- healthcare
- high throughput
- mass spectrometry
- social media
- machine learning
- heat shock
- data analysis
- squamous cell
- heat shock protein