Alveolar Macrophage Phenotypes in Schistosoma-Induced Pulmonary Hypertension

Schistosomiasis, a prevalent cause of pulmonary hypertension (PH) globally, triggers type 2 inflammation. The role of alveolar macrophages (AMs) are not well defined. This study provides insights into the complex interplay of AMs subpopulations in Schistosoma-induced PH, shedding light on potential therapeutic targets for this global health concern. Cx3cr1+/GFP reporter mice were intraperitoneally sensitized and then intravenously challenged with S. mansoni eggs .Lungs alveolar macrophages (AMs) were sorted from unexposed and at day 1, 3 and 7 following Schistosoma IV challenge by flow cytometry. At each time point, IMs were sorted from of a pair of age- and sex-matched mice (1 male and 1 female) and were combined for subsequent analyses. Single cells were captured using a Chromium Box (10X Genomics, Pleasanton, CA). Libraries were sequenced using the Illumina NovaSEQ 6000 sequencer (Illumina, Inc., San Diego, CA). Subsequently, RNA sequence reads were aligned to the Mus musculus GRCm39 reference genome using Cell Ranger v6 (10x Genomics). Downstream analysis was performed using the Seurat package in R.