Dissecting B/Plasma Cells in Periodontitis at Single-Cell/Bulk Resolution.

Area of Science:

• Immunology
• Genomics
• Oral Biology

Background:

• Periodontitis understanding has advanced from gross to molecular levels.
• Transcriptomic studies offer insights but lack detailed immune cell communication analysis.
• Current research needs finer dissection of immune cell subtypes and their biological processes in periodontitis.

Purpose of the Study:

• To classify immune cell types and analyze cell communication in periodontitis at a single-cell level.
• To investigate B/plasma cell infiltration and identify distinct cell fates.
• To develop and validate molecular diagnostic models for periodontitis using transcriptomic data.

Main Methods:

• Single-cell transcriptome profiling of 15 immune cell types in periodontitis.
• Cell communication analysis, pseudotime analysis, and gene set enrichment analysis.
• Machine learning, multivariable logistic regression, and quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction validation.

Main Results:

• Identified macrophage migration inhibitory factor communication from plasma cells to other immune cells.
• Discovered two distinct cell fates for B/plasma cells during infiltration.
• Developed a CF1 gene signature demonstrating good discrimination for periodontitis molecular diagnosis.

Conclusions:

• Transcriptomic landscape analysis clarifies B/plasma cell infiltration in periodontitis.
• A novel gene signature shows promise for assisting in the molecular diagnosis of periodontitis.
• Further validation of gene candidates in gingival tissues and fluids supports diagnostic potential.