Biology subjects

Yan, C. H.

Publications and source records attributed to Yan, C. H..

3 recordsLinked to original sources

bioRxiv2026

Coordinated immune-epithelial dynamics in the nasal epithelium protect against respiratory virus infection

Epithelial remodeling is a hallmark of host antiviral responses that strengthen barrier defenses against infection. Our current understanding of viral pathophysiology within the nasal epithelium, the initial site of most respiratory viral infections, remains incomplete due to limited understanding of the native tissue architecture and protective epithelial remodeling during immune events. Leveraging coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) as a model, we applied spatial multi-omics on nasal cross-sectional tissues to characterize the immune-epithelial landscape during infection, identifying a coordinated increase in goblet cells and suppressive macrophages associated with elevated IL13 in the immune compartment. Our results further reveal that goblet cell and suppressive macrophage enrichment are spatially linked in proximity to IL13-expressing CD4 T cells, consistent with IL13-driven remodeling in situ. Using a primary human nasal air-liquid interface model, we demonstrate that IL13 alone is sufficient to remodel epithelial composition and morphology, subsequently restricting viral infection by reshaping the apical mucus barrier of the nasal epithelium. Our findings uncover a spatially organized, IL13-driven circuit for immune-epithelial remodeling as a protective barrier against respiratory viral infections.

immunology↗

bioRxiv2023

Immune-Epithelial Dynamics and Tissue Remodeling in Chronically Inflamed Nasal Epithelium via Multi-scaled Transcriptomics

Chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) is a common inflammatory disease of the sinonasal cavity that affects millions of individuals worldwide. The complex pathophysiology of CRS remains poorly understood, with emerging evidence implicating the orchestration between diverse immune and epithelial cell types in disease progression. We applied single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) and spatial transcriptomics to both dissociated and intact, freshly isolated sinonasal human tissues to investigate the cellular and molecular heterogeneity of CRS with and without nasal polyp formation compared to non-CRS control samples. Our findings reveal a mechanism for macrophage-eosinophil recruitment into the nasal mucosa, systematic dysregulation of CD4+ and CD8+ T cells, and enrichment of mast cell populations to the upper airway tissues with intricate interactions between mast cells and CD4 T cells. Additionally, we identify immune-epithelial interactions and dysregulation, particularly involving understudied basal progenitor cells and Tuft chemosensory cells. We further describe a distinct basal cell differential trajectory in CRS patients with nasal polyps (NP), and link it to NP formation through immune-epithelial remodeling. By harnessing stringent patient tissue selection and advanced technologies, our study unveils novel aspects of CRS pathophysiology, and sheds light onto both intricate immune and epithelial cell interactions within the disrupted CRS tissue microenvironment and promising targets for therapeutic intervention. These findings expand upon existing knowledge of nasal inflammation and provide a comprehensive resource towards understanding the cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying this uniquely complex disease entity, and beyond.

immunology↗

bioRxiv2022

Persistent post-COVID-19 smell loss is associated with inflammatory infiltration and altered olfactory epithelial gene expression

Most human subjects infected by SARS-CoV-2 report an acute alteration in their sense of smell, and more than 25% of COVID patients report lasting olfactory dysfunction. While animal studies and human autopsy tissues have suggested mechanisms underlying acute loss of smell, the pathophysiology that underlies persistent smell loss remains unclear. Here we combine objective measurements of smell loss in patients suffering from post-acute sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 infection (PASC) with single cell sequencing and histology of the olfactory epithelium (OE). This approach reveals that the OE of patients with persistent smell loss harbors a diffuse infiltrate of T cells expressing interferon-gamma; gene expression in sustentacular cells appears to reflect a response to inflammatory signaling, which is accompanied by a reduction in the number of olfactory sensory neurons relative to support cells. These data identify a persistent epithelial inflammatory process associated with PASC, and suggests mechanisms through which this T cell-mediated inflammation alters the sense of smell.

neuroscience↗