Single-cell transcriptomics reveals lipid metabolism reprogramming in macrophages in vitro during early stages of Leishmania donovani infection - PubMed
6 hours ago
- #Single-cell RNA sequencing
- #Leishmania donovani
- #Macrophages
- Single-cell transcriptomics reveals lipid metabolism reprogramming in macrophages during early Leishmania donovani infection.
- Leishmania donovani causes visceral leishmaniasis, leading to fever, hepatosplenomegaly, and anemia if untreated.
- The study used single-cell transcriptomic sequencing to analyze infected macrophages in mice.
- Infection rates in macrophages decreased over time, with key pathways like Fabp4/Cd36 lipid metabolism activated early.
- Infected cells showed changes in genes like Fabp4, suggesting the parasite hijacks host lipid metabolism.
- Aging-related genes (Plk1, Cenpa, Bub1b, H2afx, Cdkn2d) were activated, indicating possible cellular senescence.
- Infected cells mediated immune responses in bystander cells via secretory signals (Il1rn, Ccl3, Hmox1).
- Parasite gene expression was higher in M2 macrophages, indicating a more favorable environment for survival.
- Parasite gene profiling showed transcriptional remodeling during the transition from promastigotes to amastigotes.
- The study provides insights into host immune responses and parasite-host interactions for future treatments.