Single-cell analysis of the host transcriptional response during pneumococcal infection

2022 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 20K21675
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Challenging Research (Exploratory)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Review Section: Medium-sized Section 57:Oral science and related fields
• Research Institution: Osaka University
• Principal Investigator: Kawabata Shigetada 大阪大学, 大学院歯学研究科, 教授 (50273694)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): 山口 雅也 大阪大学, 大学院歯学研究科, 准教授 (00714536) ; 住友 倫子 徳島大学, 大学院医歯薬学研究部(歯学域), 教授 (50423421) ; 中田 匡宣 鹿児島大学, 医歯学域歯学系, 教授 (90444497)
• Project Period (FY): 2020-07-30 – 2023-03-31
• Keywords: 肺炎球菌 / シングルセル解析 / 肺感染

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Streptococcus pneumoniae, one of oral Streptococcus species, is the most common cause of pneumonia. In pneumococcal pneumonia, the exaggerated host inflammatory response is thought to cause tissue destruction and deep dissemination of the organism. However, detailed information on which cell populations are migrated by infection and how each cell population responds to infection has not been elucidated. In this study, we performed immunological and histological analyses in a murine infection model and established a protocol for single-cell RNA-seq using infected samples. The results suggest that neutrophils, originally involved in infection defense, may contribute to disease severity depending on the state of infection.

Free Research Field

細菌学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

本研究成果によって、肺炎球菌性肺炎の重症化メカニズムの一端が明らかになった。さらに、マウス感染肺を用いたシングルセル単離のプロコールならびにシングルセルRNA-seqの情報解析プロトコールが確立された。シングルセルレベルの解析は加速度的に需要が増加しており、感染検体を用いたこれらの解析手法の確立は、今後の感染症研究において重要性が増すと考えられる。