Single Cell RNA sequencing of CD11b+Gr1+ cells from the bone marrow of young and aged mice

Myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs) are recognized as one of the key mediators of immunosuppression in aging process, which induce immunosenescence and increase elderly people's susceptibility to to infections, cancers, autoimmune diseases, and degenerative diseases. It still remains elusive whether MDSCs represent a unique subset of myeloid cells that differ from their young, healthy counterparts, which will hamper the deeper understanding of the pathophysiological functions of MDSCs. In the present study we conducted scRNAseq analysis to compare MDSCs from three aged mice and three young mice. We established the MDSC-specific gene signature of aged mouse, which revealed the general characteristics of MDSCs, and thus faciliating distinguishing them from normal myeloid cells in aging process. In addition, our study provides a single-cell transcriptional map defining the development of MDSCs in aging process, which will ultimately enable us to specifically target these cells in old individuals. Overall design: In the present study we conducted scRNAseq analysis of mice myeloid cells collected from three old mice and three young mice using the 10X Genomics Chromium Platform and sequenced on the Illumina HighSeq 3000.