Transcriptional analysis of cystic fibrosis airways at single-cell resolution reveals altered epithelial cell states and composition
- 6 May 2021
- journal article
- research article
- Published by Springer Science and Business Media LLC in Nature Medicine
- Vol. 27 (5), 806-814
- https://doi.org/10.1038/s41591-021-01332-7
Abstract
Cystic fibrosis (CF) is a lethal autosomal recessive disorder that afflicts more than 70,000 people. People with CF experience multi-organ dysfunction resulting from aberrant electrolyte transport across polarized epithelia due to mutations in the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) gene. CF-related lung disease is by far the most important determinant of morbidity and mortality. Here we report results from a multi-institute consortium in which single-cell transcriptomics were applied to define disease-related changes by comparing the proximal airway of CF donors (n = 19) undergoing transplantation for end-stage lung disease with that of previously healthy lung donors (n = 19). Disease-dependent differences observed include an overabundance of epithelial cells transitioning to specialized ciliated and secretory cell subsets coupled with an unexpected decrease in cycling basal cells. Our study yields a molecular atlas of the proximal airway epithelium that will provide insights for the development of new targeted therapies for CF airway disease.Keywords
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