Molecular Immunity Unit, University of Cambridge Department of Medicine, Cambridge, UK.
Cellular Genetics, Wellcome Sanger Institute, Cambridge, UK.
Nat Rev Nephrol. 2020 Feb;16(2):112-128. doi: 10.1038/s41581-019-0227-3. Epub 2019 Dec 12.
Advances in single-cell technologies are transforming our understanding of cellular identity. For instance, the application of single-cell RNA sequencing and mass cytometry technologies to the study of immune cell populations in blood, secondary lymphoid organs and the renal tract is helping researchers to map the complex immune landscape within the kidney, define cell ontogeny and understand the relationship of kidney-resident immune cells with their circulating counterparts. These studies also provide insights into the interactions of immune cell populations with neighbouring epithelial and endothelial cells in health, and across a range of kidney diseases and cancer. These data have translational potential and will aid the identification of drug targets and enable better prediction of off-target effects. The application of single-cell technologies to clinical renal biopsy samples, or even cells within urine, will improve diagnostic accuracy and assist with personalized prognostication for patients with various kidney diseases. A comparison of immune cell types in peripheral blood and secondary lymphoid organs in healthy individuals and in patients with systemic autoimmune diseases that affect the kidney will also help to unravel the mechanisms that underpin the breakdown in self-tolerance and propagation of autoimmune responses. Together, these immune cell atlases have the potential to transform nephrology.
单细胞技术的进步正在改变我们对细胞身份的理解。例如，将单细胞 RNA 测序和质谱细胞术应用于血液、次级淋巴器官和尿路中的免疫细胞群的研究，帮助研究人员绘制肾脏内复杂的免疫图谱，定义细胞发生，并了解肾脏固有免疫细胞与其循环对应物的关系。这些研究还深入了解了免疫细胞群与健康状态下邻近的上皮细胞和内皮细胞以及各种肾脏疾病和癌症中的相互作用。这些数据具有转化潜力，将有助于确定药物靶点，并能够更好地预测脱靶效应。将单细胞技术应用于临床肾活检样本，甚至尿液中的细胞，将提高诊断准确性，并有助于对各种肾脏疾病患者进行个性化预后预测。比较健康个体和影响肾脏的系统性自身免疫性疾病患者外周血和次级淋巴器官中的免疫细胞类型，也将有助于揭示导致自身耐受破坏和自身免疫反应传播的机制。这些免疫细胞图谱有可能彻底改变肾脏病学。
