Deciphering immune cell heterogeneity in vascular diseases: Insights from single-cell sequencing

Area of Science:

• Immunology
• Vascular Biology
• Genomics

Background:

• Vascular diseases involve complex immune responses, but immune cell dynamics and interactions are not fully understood.
• Existing reviews lack comprehensive details on immune cell heterogeneity and functional states in vascular pathology.
• Single-cell sequencing (SCS) offers a powerful tool to dissect immune cell complexity in disease.

Purpose of the Study:

• To systematically review the recent applications of SCS in understanding vascular diseases.
• To highlight novel immune cell subsets, their interactions, and their impact on vascular pathology.
• To address knowledge gaps regarding immune cell plasticity and temporal dynamics in vascular diseases.

Main Methods:

• Systematic literature review focusing on studies utilizing single-cell sequencing (SCS) in vascular diseases.
• Analysis of identified immune cell subpopulations and their functional states.
• Examination of intercellular communication networks within the vascular microenvironment.

Main Results:

• SCS has identified previously unknown immune cell subsets contributing to vascular pathology.
• New insights into the functional plasticity and dynamic changes of immune cells in vascular diseases.
• Characterization of specific immune cell interactions driving inflammatory processes in vascular diseases.

Conclusions:

• SCS provides a high-resolution view of immune cell involvement in vascular diseases.
• Understanding immune cell heterogeneity and dynamics is crucial for developing targeted therapies.
• This review proposes novel therapeutic strategies based on SCS findings for vascular disease prevention and treatment.