Macrophage Colony Stimulating Factor derived from CD4+ T cells aids in control of an intracellular infection [RNA-seq]

Background: In malaria, parasites of the genus Plasmodium elicit robust host expansion of macrophages and monocytes, but the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. In a microarray analysis of pooled, activated CD4+ T cells from mice infected with P. chabaudi, we detected inducible expression of Csf1, which promotes macrophage proliferation. To better characterize Csf1-producing T cells, single-cell RNA-Seq was performed. Results: Robust Csf1 expression was detected in a subset of sampled CD4+ T cells (n = 14/35), whereas the remainder of cells had no detectable Csf1. Further, we identified ~ 400 genes that were differentially expressed between Csf1+ and Csf1- T cells. Conclusions: This work defines the transcriptional landscape of a subset of activated CD4+ T cells that produce the cytokine Csf1. These cells are expected to be important in infections with intracellular pathogens such as Plasmodium. Overall design: Antigen-experienced (CD11a+ CD49d+) CD4+ T cells were isolated by double-sorting from the blood of C57BL/6 adult female mice 6 days post-infection with Plasmodium chabaudi. Single cells were isolated and processed for RNA sequencing using a Fluidigm C1 integrated fluidic circuit chip. 35 biological replicates were analyzed.

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Fontana MF, de Melo GL, Anidi C, Hamburger R, Kim CY, Lee SY, Pham J, Kim CC