Dissecting Human Blood Immune Cells Response to Intracellular Infection Using Single-Cell RNA Sequencing

Complex interactions between diverse host immune cells can determine the outcome of pathogen infections. Advances in single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) allow detection of the transcriptional patterns of different immune cells at steady state and after infection. To reveal the complex interactions of the human immune system in response to diverse intracellular pathogens, we developed a protocol for scRNA-seq of ex vivo infected human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs). We demonstrate here infection with Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium, but this protocol can be used for any other pathogen of interest, and expand our knowledge of human host-pathogen biology.