Single-cell RNA-seq reveals immune cell heterogeneity and increased Th17 cells in keloid

The immune response is postulated to exert a pivotal role in the occurrence and progression of keloid. In recent years, the impact of the peripheral immune microenvironment on keloid has garnered significant attention in scholarly investigations exploring the underlying pathogenesis of this condition. In this study, we isolated CD45+ cells from keloid and normal scar dermis tissues by fluorescence activated cell sorting (FACS) and performed single-cell RNA sequencing analysis. Our results revealed the intricate cellular landscape of immune cells in keloid. We found that compared to normal scar tissue, the percentage of Th17 cells was significantly increased in keloid. Further functional studies revealed that Th17 cell promotes proliferation, migration and collagen expression of keloid fibroblast through IL17a. These findings will help us more thoroughly understand keloid pathogenesis and provide potential targets for keloid therapies. We isolated CD45+ cells from keloid and normal scar dermis tissues. After stringent quality control, we obtained transcriptomes of 41084 cells (Keloid(nsample=3): 17402; Normal scar(nsample=3):23682).