RNA-Seq of human dendritic cells from aspergillosis and asthma patients after challenge with Aspergillus fumigatus, SYBARIS project.

Aspergillosis covers a range of infections cause by Aspergillus species, and in many cases can be life threatening. Individuals with weakened immune systems are particularly at risk. Dendritic cells were derived from patients with allergic brochopulmonary aspergillosis (ABPA), chronic cavitary pulmonary aspergillosis (CCPA), and asthma, as well as from healthy donors. Each sample was split in two, and one sample from each pair was cultured with Aspergillus fumigatus. RNA-sequencing was used to assess transcriptional changes in the human cells in response to pathogen challenge. Many genes known to be important in immunity were found to exhibit differential expression after fungal challenge between healthy and diseased individuals, including chemokines and C-type lectins.