Brain and blood single-cell transcriptomic analysis in acute and subacute phases after experimental stroke

The secondary immune response to ischemic stroke progresses for days to weeks and involves glial and brain endothelium activation, recruitment of peripheral immune cells, and release of cytokines and chemokines. Whereas there is evidence that the acute inflammatory response contributes to the progression of ischemic brain injury, on the other hand, recent research points at a more multifaceted role of immune cells in brain ischemia, where immune cells participate in repair processes during the sub-acute and chronic stages. Here we used single-cell sequencing to gain deeper insights into the impact of ischemic stroke on signature and the heterogeneity of brain immune cells, endothelial cells and circulating leukocytes in mice. Overall design: Single-cell RNA profiling of CD45intermediate and CD45high immune cells and CD45negative/Ly6chigh endothelial cells isolated from mice 2 and 14 days after transient middle cerebral artery occlusion or sham surgery. Single-cell RNA profiling of peripheral blood leukocytes from mice 2 and 14 days after transient middle cerebral artery occlusion or sham surgery.