Single-cell RNA sequencing reveals T and B cell-related immune features in foot and mouth disease virus-infected mice

T and B lymphocytes protect against foot and mouth disease virus (FMDV). They are essential for long-term immunity and viral clearance, but their immunological features in FMDV infection remain unknown. Here, we performed single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) and conducted integrative analyses to determine cell composition, gene expression, cell-cell communication state, and regulatory network of T and B cells in the spleen of FMDV- and mock-infected mice. Our results revealed variational compositions of immune cells on the subsets level. Additionally, we determined the reshaping of several important pathways in T and B cells, such as the inhibition of antigen-presentation capacity. Finally, the remolding of cell-cell communication and regulatory networks was also characterized during FMDV infection. Overall, our research provides valuable insights and abundant resources for understanding the adaptive immune response in FMD. Three infected and three control spleens of ifnar-/- C57/B6 mice were isolated at 5 days post FMDV or solvet injection and analyzed using scRNAseq.