J Clin Invest. 2019 Apr 8;129(5):1830-1832. doi: 10.1172/JCI128479.
Eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE) is a recently described disease in which exposure to specific foods and allergens leads to type 2 inflammation, epithelial barrier dysfunction, and difficulty in swallowing. In the current issue of the JCI, Wen and colleagues investigate tissue T cell heterogeneity in patients with EoE using single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq). Esophageal epithelium from individuals with EoE convtained a prominent population of Th2 cells not seen in controls. The short-chain fatty acid (SCFA) receptor FFAR3 was found to be highly expressed in EoE Th2 cells. Experiments presented here provide evidence that SCFAs may promote type 2 inflammation in allergic diseases such as EoE and asthma. This study provides an early example of scRNA-seq for identifying relevant cell populations and mechanisms underlying allergic diseases.
嗜酸性食管炎（EoE）是一种新近描述的疾病，其特征是暴露于特定食物和过敏原会导致 2 型炎症、上皮屏障功能障碍和吞咽困难。在本期 JCI 中，Wen 及其同事使用单细胞 RNA 测序（scRNA-seq）研究了 EoE 患者的组织 T 细胞异质性。EoE 个体的食管上皮中含有大量 Th2 细胞，而对照者中未见这种细胞。发现短链脂肪酸（SCFA）受体 FFAR3 在 EoE Th2 细胞中高度表达。本研究提供了证据表明，SCFAs 可能促进过敏疾病（如 EoE 和哮喘）中的 2 型炎症。这项研究为使用 scRNA-seq 鉴定过敏疾病相关细胞群体和机制提供了早期范例。
