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Updated: Jul 12, 2025
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Isolation of Endothelial Cells from the Lumen of Mouse Carotid Arteries for Single-Cell Multi-Omics Experiments
Published on: October 4, 2021
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Single-Cell Transcriptomics Reveals Crucial Cell Subsets and Functional Heterogeneity Associated With Carotid
Jinyun Tan1,2,3, Yongjun Liang4,2,3, Zhou Yang2,5
1Vascular Surgery Division, General Surgery Department, Huashan Hospital Affiliated to Fudan University, Shanghai, China (J. Tan, Q.H., W.G., K.L., W.S., B.Y.).
Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis, and Vascular Biology
|October 26, 2023
Summary
This study reveals specific immune and endothelial cell subsets in carotid atherosclerosis plaques driving stroke risk. Understanding these cells offers new targets for cardiovascular immunotherapies.
Area of Science:
- Immunology
- Cardiovascular Biology
- Genomics
Background:
- Carotid atherosclerosis is a chronic inflammatory condition underlying most ischemic strokes.
- Immune responses and vascular cell dysfunction drive atherosclerotic lesion development.
- Specific immune and endothelial cell subsets in atherosclerosis remain poorly understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To characterize the cellular landscape of atherosclerotic carotid artery plaques.
- To identify specific immune and endothelial cell subsets involved in cerebrovascular events.
- To provide a single-cell transcriptome data compendium for cardiovascular immunotherapy development.
Main Methods:
- Single-cell RNA sequencing of carotid artery plaques and peripheral blood mononuclear cells from 20 patients.
- Analysis of an extensive dataset comprising 372,070 cells.
- Identification of plaque-specific cell subsets and their functional characteristics.
Main Results:
- Discovered three plaque-specific T-cell subsets with proatherogenic activation and exhaustion features.
- Identified regulatory T cells acquiring proinflammatory properties and T cells linked to cerebrovascular events.
- Characterized distinct monocyte subsets (pro- and anti-inflammatory) and proinflammatory macrophages (IGF1+, HS3ST2+) contributing to events.
- Annotated SULF1+ endothelial cells involved in plaque vulnerability and cerebrovascular events.
Conclusions:
- Detailed cellular heterogeneity within the atherosclerotic microenvironment was elucidated.
- The findings offer insights into the development of targeted cardiovascular immunotherapies.
- This data compendium serves as a valuable resource for future research in atherosclerosis and stroke.
