Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39780400›Full record

ArticleClinical and experimental immunology2025

Single-cell analysis of lung epithelial cells reveals age and cell population-specific responses to SARS-CoV-2 infection in ciliated cells.

Raven M Osborn, Christopher S Anderson, Justin R Leach, ChinYi Chu, Stephen Dewhurst, Thomas J Mariani, Juilee Thakar

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Clinical and experimental immunology, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

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1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

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2 · The registry

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3 · Its place in the literature

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4 · The record

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5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

7 authors.

Raven M OsbornTranslational Biomedical Sciences Program, University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry, Rochester, NY, USA.ORCID 0000-0002-6835-8856
Christopher S AndersonDepartment of Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases, University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry, Rochester, NY, USA.
Justin R LeachDepartment of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry, Rochester, NY, USA.
ChinYi ChuDepartment of Pediatrics, Center for Pediatric Biomedical Research, University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry, Rochester, NY, USA.
Stephen DewhurstDepartment of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry, Rochester, NY, USA.
Thomas J MarianiDepartment of Pediatrics, Division of Neonatology, University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry, Rochester, NY, USA.
Juilee ThakarTranslational Biomedical Sciences Program, University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry, Rochester, NY, USA.ORCID 0000-0003-4479-4183

Funding

BioRepository for INvestigation of Diseases of the Lung (BRINDL) - Phase IIIU01HL148861 · NHLBI · UNIVERSITY OF ROCHESTER · PI GLORIA S PRYHUBER · 2019 to 2026
$9.7M
NRSA Training CoreTL1TR002000 · NCATS · UNIVERSITY OF ROCHESTER · PI THAKAR, JUILEE, VAN WIJNGAARDEN, EDWIN · 2016 to 2024
$4.1M
Institutional Program Unifying Population and Laboratory Based SciencesNCATS NIH HHS NIH TL1-TR002000NCATS NIH HHS TL1 TR002000NHLBI Lung Molecular Atlas Program NIH U01 HL148861-02S1NHLBI NIH HHS U01 HL148861NIHUniversity of Rochester from the Burroughs Wellcome Fund 1014095University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry Scientific Advisory Committee Incubator Award
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

introductionThe ability of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) to evade antiviral immune signaling in the airway contributes to the severity of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Additionally, COVID-19 is influenced by age and has more severe presentations in older individuals. Hence we investigate the role of innate immune signaling as a function of lung development and age.

methodWe investigated the transcriptome of the airway epithelium using pediatric and adult lung tissue samples from the LungMAP Human Tissue Core Biorepository. Specifically, lung lobes were digested and cultured into a biomimetic model of the airway epithelium on an air-liquid interface. Cells were then infected with SARS-CoV-2 and subjected to single-cell RNA sequencing. The data was analyzed using Seurat, scType, Monacle and tools to infer cell-cell communication.

resultsThe clustering analysis identified following six cell populations: club cells, proliferating epithelial cells, multiciliated precursor cells, ionocytes, and two biologically distinct clusters of ciliated cells (FOXJ1high and FOXJ1low). Interestingly, the two ciliated cell clusters showed different infection rates and enrichment of processes involved in ciliary biogenesis and function; we observed a cell-type-specific suppression of innate immunity in infected cells from the FOXJ1low subset. We also identified a significant number of genes that were differentially expressed in lung cells derived from children as compared to adults, suggesting the differential pathogenesis of SARS-CoV-2 infection in children versus adults.

conclusionThis work reveals age dependent differences in the lung epithelial cell response to SARS-CoV-2 infection. The results can be used to identify drug targets to modulate molecular signaling cascades that mediate an innate immune response.

Indexed as

COVID-19Epithelial CellsLungSARS-CoV-2AdolescentAdultAgedAge FactorsCell CommunicationChildChild, PreschoolCiliaFemaleForkhead Transcription FactorsHumansImmunity, InnateForkhead Transcription FactorsFOXJ1 protein, humanair-liquid interfacelung epithelial cellspediatric and adultSARS-CoV2scRNA-seq

Identifiers

PMID39780400
PMCPMC12508806

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.