Immune cells in human lung tissue may drive the development of autoimmune disease
A massive analysis of immune cells in human tissue is yielding clues to the root causes of lung and autoimmune diseases.
A groundbreaking study published in Nature Immunology examines how immune cells residing in the human lung tissue may contribute to the development of autoimmune diseases. Researchers from La Jolla Institute for Immunology (LJI) analyzed over 1.1 million immune cells from lungs of 128 human volunteers, providing unprecedented insight into the role of tissue-resident immune cells in disease.
These cells, which are meant to protect the body from infections and cancer, can malfunction and cause chronic lung inflammation in some individuals. The study identified around 1,000 genes specifically affected by genetic factors, with these genetic differences present in tissue-resident immune cells but not in those circulating in the blood.
Notably, sex-based differences were observed, with 1,700 genes showing sex-specific expression levels, potentially influencing susceptibility to autoimmune and infectious diseases. The researchers caution that further investigation is required to fully comprehend the implications of these findings on lung inflammation and autoimmune disease susceptibility.
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