Biology subjects

Sigdel, T.

Publications and source records attributed to Sigdel, T..

5 recordsLinked to original sources

bioRxiv2022

Genetic deletion and pharmacologic inhibition of FcER1 reduces renal injury in mouse models of diabetic nephropathy.

FcER1 forms a high affinity multimeric cell-surface receptor for the Fc region of immunoglobulin E (IgE) and controls the activation of mast cells and basophils. Antigen binding and cross-linking of FcER1 associated IgE induces several downstream signaling pathways that result in diverse outcomes. Canonical signaling through IgE-FcER1 has been related to allergic responses, however, recent studies have identified that their function in mast cell and basophils contribute to other pathogenic conditions such as cancer and diabetes. Previous studies have demonstrated that FcER1 protein is upregulated in advanced diabetic kidney disease (DKD) making it a targetable molecule for the treatment of DKD. This study presents evidence that loss of FcER1 signaling reduces proteinuria and renal injury in two pre-clinical mouse models of diabetes. Mice deficient for fcer1 are protected from streptozotocin mediated induction of proteinuria and display reduced fibrosis and mast cell infiltration in kidney. Furthermore, inhibition of FcER1 signaling with an antibody directed against the {gamma}-subunit reduces proteinuria in a spontaneous model of type II diabetes. Our results show significant reduction of proteinuria and tissue damage in pre-clinical DKD models demonstrating the potential of FcER1 inhibitory approaches for developing new therapies in DKD.

immunology↗

bioRxiv2022

Perturbations of the T-cell immune repertoire in kidney transplant rejection

In this cross-sectional and longitudinal analysis of mapping the T-cell repertoire in kidney transplant recipients, we have investigated and validated T-cell clonality, immune repertoire chronology at rejection, and contemporaneous allograft biopsy quantitative tissue injury, to better understand the pathobiology of acute T cell and antibody-mediated kidney transplant rejection. To follow the dynamic evolution of T-cell repertoire changes before and after engraftment and during biopsy-confirmed acute rejection, we sequenced 323 peripheral blood samples from 200 unique kidney transplant recipients, with (n=100) and without (n=100) biopsyconfirmed acute rejection. The results of these studies highlight, for the first time, that patients who develop acute allograft rejection, have lower (p=0.01) T cell fraction even before transplantation, followed by its rise after transplantation and at the time of acute rejection accompanied by high TCR repertoire turnover (p=0.004). Acute rejection episodes occurring after the first 6 months post-transplantation, and those with a component of antibody-mediated rejection, had the highest turnover; p=0.0016) of their TCRs. In conclusion, further prospective validation studies are needed to evaluate the clinical utility of peripheral blood TCR analysis for both pre- and post-transplant immune risk assessment and prediction of different mechanisms of graft rejection.

immunology↗

bioRxiv2022

Plasma Proteome Perturbation for CMV DNAemia in Kidney Transplantation

BackgroundCytomegalovirus (CMV) infection, either de novo or as reactivation after allotransplantation and chronic immunosuppression, is recognized to cause detrimental alloimmune effects, inclusive of higher susceptibility to graft rejection and substantive impact on chronic graft injury and reduced transplant survival. To obtain further insights into the evolution and pathogenesis of CMV infection in an immunocompromised host we evaluated changes in the circulating host proteome serially, before and after transplantation, and during and after CMV DNA replication (DNAemia), as measured by quantitative polymerase chain reaction (QPCR). MethodsLC-MS-based proteomics was conducted on 168 serially banked plasma samples, from 62 propensity score-matched kidney transplant recipients. Patients were stratified by CMV replication status into 31 with CMV DNAemia and 31 without CMV DNAemia. Patients had blood samples drawn at protocol times of 3- and 12-months post-transplant. Additionally, blood samples were also drawn before and 1 week and 1 month after detection of CMV DNAemia. Plasma proteins were analyzed using an LCMS 8060 triple quadrupole mass spectrometer. Further, public transcriptomic data on time matched PBMCs samples from the same patients was utilized to evaluate integrative pathways. Data analysis was conducted using R and Limma. ResultsSamples were segregated based on their proteomic profiles with respect to their CMV Dnaemia status. A subset of 17 plasma proteins was observed to predict the onset of CMV at 3 months post-transplant enriching platelet degranulation (FDR, 4.83E-06), acute inflammatory response (FDR, 0.0018), blood coagulation (FDR, 0.0018) pathways. An increase in many immune complex proteins were observed at CMV infection. Prior to DNAemia the plasma proteome showed changes in the anti-inflammatory adipokine vaspin (SERPINA12), copper binding protein ceruloplasmin (CP), complement activation (FDR=0.03), and proteins enriched in the humoral (FDR=0.01) and innate immune responses (FDR=0.01). ConclusionPlasma proteomic and transcriptional perturbations impacting humoral and innate immune pathways are observed during CMV infection and provide biomarkers for CMV disease prediction and resolution. Further studies to understand the clinical impact of these pathways can help in the formulation of different types and duration of anti-viral therapies for management of CMV infection in the immunocompromised host.

immunology↗

bioRxiv2020

Novel Human Kidney Cell Subsets Identified by Mux-Seq

BackgroundThe kidney is a highly complex organ that performs multiple functions necessary to maintain systemic homeostasis, with complex interplay from different kidney sub-structures and the coordinated response of diverse cell types, few known and likely many others, as yet undiscovered. Traditional global sequencing techniques are limited in their ability to identify unique and functionally diverse cell types in complex tissues. MethodsHerein we characterize over 45,000 cells from 10 normal human kidneys using unbiased single-cell RNA sequencing. We also apply, for the first time, an approach of multiplexing kidney samples (Mux-Seq), pooled from different individuals, to save input sample amount and cost. We applied the computational tool Demuxlet to assess differential expression across multiple individuals by pooling human kidney cells for scRNA sequencing, utilizing individual genetic variability to determine the identity of each cell. ResultsMultiplexed droplet single-cell RNA sequencing results were highly correlated with the singleplexed sample run data. One hundred distinct cell cluster populations in total were identified across the major cell types of the kidney, with varied functional states. Proximal tubular and collecting duct cells were the most heterogeneous, displaying multiple clusters with unique ontologies. Novel proximal tubular cell subsets were identified with regenerative potential. Trajectory analysis demonstrated evolution of cell states between intercalated and principal cells in the collecting duct. ConclusionsHealthy kidney tissue has been successfully analyzed to detect all known renal cell types, inclusive of resident and infiltrating immune cells in the kidney. Mux-Seq is a unique method that allows for rapid and cost-effective single cell, in depth, transcriptional analysis of human kidney tissue. Significance StatementUse of renal biopsies for single cell transcriptomics is limited by small tissue availability and batch effects. In this study, we have successfully employed the use of Mux-Seq for the first time in kidney. Mux-Seq allows the use of single cell technology at a much more cost-effective manner by pooling samples from multiple individuals for a single sequencing run. This is even more relevant in the case of patient biopsies where the input of tissue is significantly limited. We show that the data from overlapping tissue samples are highly correlated between Mux-Seq and traditional Singleplexed RNA seq. Furthermore, the results from Mux-Seq of 4 pooled samples are highly correlated with singleplexed data from 10 singleplex samples despite the inherent variability among individuals.

genomics↗

bioRxiv2019

A Modified Injector and Sample Acquisition Protocol Can Improve Data Quality and Reduce Inter-Instrument Variability of the Helios Mass Cytometer

Mass cytometry is a powerful tool for high dimensional single cell characterization. Since the introduction of the first commercial CyTOF mass cytometer by DVS Sciences in 2009, mass cytometry technology has matured and become more widely utilized, with sequential platform upgrades designed to address specific limitations and to expand the capabilities of the platform. Fluidigms 3rd-generation Helios mass cytometer introduced a number of upgrades over the previous CyTOF2. One of these new features is a modified narrow bore sample injector that generates smaller ion clouds, which is expected to improve sensitivity and throughput. However, following rigorous testing we find that the narrow-bore sample injector may have unintended negative consequences on data quality and result in lower median signal intensities and higher coefficients of variation in antibody expression. We describe an alternative Helios acquisition protocol using a wider bore injector, which largely mitigates these data quality issues. We directly compare these two protocols in a multi-site study of 10 Helios instruments across 7 institutions and show that the modified protocol improves data quality and reduces inter-instrument variability. These findings highlight and address an important source of technical variability in mass cytometry experiments that is of particular relevance in the setting of multi-center studies.

immunology↗