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Updated: Jul 16, 2025
Single-cell Analysis of Immunophenotype and Cytokine Production in Peripheral Whole Blood via Mass Cytometry
Published on: June 26, 2018
Featured immune characteristics of COVID-19 and systemic lupus erythematosus revealed by multidimensional integrated
Xingwang Zhao1, Mengjie Zhang2, Yuying Jia3,4
1Department of Dermatology, Southwest Hospital, Army Medical University (Third Military Medical University), Chongqing, 400038, China.
Insights
This study reveals shared immune similarities and distinct responses between COVID-19 and systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) at the single-cell level. Findings highlight potential therapeutic targets for both cytokine storm-related conditions.
Area of Science:
- Immunology
- Computational Biology
- Genomics
Background:
- Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) exhibits immune traits akin to autoimmune conditions like systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE).
- Previous investigations have not explored these associations using single-cell analysis.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate single-cell immune characteristics shared between COVID-19 and SLE.
- To identify immune cell subsets and molecular pathways involved in the pathogenesis of both diseases.
- To compare immune cell alterations in SLE versus COVID-19 patients.
Main Methods:
- Integrated analysis of RNA sequencing data from the GEO database.
- Identification of immune cell subsets and gene expression patterns.
- Disentangled alterations in cell proportions and molecular signatures.
Main Results:
- Identified key immune genes (e.g., CXCL10, RACK1) and pathways (e.g., T-cell receptor signaling).
- Highlighted differences in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) between SLE and COVID-19 patients.
- Uncovered B-cell communication pathways (e.g., MIF-CD74+CXCR4) and differentiation trajectories relevant to both diseases.
Conclusions:
- Demonstrated similarities in immune responses, including cytokine storm, between COVID-19 and SLE.
- Showcased differences in immune profiles between the two conditions.
- Provided potential therapeutic targets for COVID-19 and SLE pathogenesis.
Background:
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) shares similar immune characteristics with autoimmune diseases like systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). However, such associations have not yet been investigated at the single-cell level.
Methods:
We integrated and analyzed RNA sequencing results from different patients and normal controls from the GEO database and identified subsets of immune cells that might involve in the pathogenesis of SLE and COVID- 19. We also disentangled the characteristic alterations in cell and molecular subset proportions as well as gene expression patterns in SLE patients compared with COVID-19 patients.
Results:
Key immune characteristic genes (such as CXCL10 and RACK1) and multiple immune-related pathways (such as the coronavirus disease-COVID-19, T-cell receptor signaling, and MIF-related signaling pathways) were identified. We also highlighted the differences in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) between SLE and COVID-19 patients. Moreover, we provided an opportunity to comprehensively probe underlying B-cell‒cell communication with multiple ligand-receptor pairs (MIF-CD74+CXCR4, MIF-CD74+CD44) and the differentiation trajectory of B-cell clusters that is deemed to promote cell state transitions in COVID-19 and SLE.
Conclusions:
Our results demonstrate the immune response differences and immune characteristic similarities, such as the cytokine storm, between COVID-19 and SLE, which might pivotally function in the pathogenesis of the two diseases and provide potential intervention targets for both diseases.
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