High-Throughput Analysis of Lung Immune Cells in a Combined Murine Model of Agriculture Dust-Triggered Airway Inflammation with Rheumatoid Arthritis

We report identification of 14 unique immune cell populations among different treatment groups with single-cell RNA sequencing high throughput technology. We identified (a) 3 unique neutrophil populations including inflammatory, transient and immunosuppressive/autoreactive granulocytes among experimental groups, (b) heterogeneity among 5 macrophage populations including metabolically active, proliferative, differentiating, recruited, and residential with classical (M1) and alternatively (M2)-activated genes, (c) identification of 2 stages of T-lymphocytes (differentiating and effector), a B-cell population and a NK cell cluster, (d) variability in the distribution of cellular clusters among the treatment groups representing RA and RA-associated lung disease (CIA and CIA+ODE groups, respectively), (e) identification of gMDSC and mMDSC populations based on cell surface markers, and (f) identification of unique genes (interferon-related/autoimmune and complement cascade) that are found in a mouse model of RA-associated inflammatory lung disease. This study identified unique populations of lung immune cell clusters differentially ascribed to individual treatment conditions. We identified neutrophil subpopulations and heterogeneous macrophage-monocyte populations in addition to unique genes (interferon-related and complement cascade) that could be contributing to the pathogenesis of RA-associated lung disease. Additionally, this information might inform potential candidates that could be exploited in future investigations examining targeted interventions and the identification of informative disease biomarkers. Examination of lung immune cells among treatment groups