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Profiles of Immune Cell Infiltration in Carotid Artery Atherosclerosis Based on Gene Expression Data
Long Wang1,2, Beibei Gao1, Mingyue Wu3
1Key Laboratory of Clinical Cancer Pharmacology and Toxicology Research of Zhejiang Province, Department of Cardiology, Affiliated Hangzhou First People's Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China.
Insights
Immune cell infiltration in atherosclerosis reveals a diverse landscape, dominated by T cells and myeloid cells. Macrophages and dendritic cells (DCs) show altered abundance, impacting disease progression and prognosis.
Area of Science:
- Immunology
- Cardiovascular Research
- Atherosclerosis Pathogenesis
Background:
- Immune cell infiltration is a critical factor in atherosclerosis progression and patient prognosis.
- Understanding the specific immune cell subpopulations involved is essential for developing targeted therapies.
Purpose of the Study:
- To quantify the abundance of 24 distinct immune cell types within atherosclerotic carotid artery tissues.
- To analyze the proportions and dysregulation of these immune cells in carotid atherosclerosis.
Main Methods:
- Utilized the Immune Cell Abundance Identifier (ImmuCellAI), a web-based bioinformatics tool.
- Analyzed microarray profiles from human atherosclerotic carotid artery samples.
- Estimated the abundance of 24 immune cell types.
Main Results:
- Atherosclerotic tissues exhibit a diverse immune cell landscape, primarily composed of T cells and myeloid cells.
- Macrophages and dendritic cells (DCs) displayed differential abundance between normal and atherosclerotic tissues.
- Macrophage expression correlated with DCs and exhausted T cells; T-helper type 1 (Th1) cells correlated with T-helper type 2 (Th2) and effector memory cells.
Conclusions:
- Confirmed a distinct profile of immune cell subpopulations infiltrating atherosclerotic lesions.
- These findings may guide future immunological research directions for atherosclerosis.
- Highlights the complex interplay of immune cells in the atherosclerotic microenvironment.
Abstract:
Since immune infiltration is closely associated with the progression and prognosis of atherosclerosis, we aimed to describe the abundance of 24 immune cell types within atherosclerotic tissues. In the current study, we used the Immune Cell Abundance Identifier (ImmuCellAI), a web-based tool, to estimate the abundance of 24 immune cells based on the microarray profiles of atherosclerotic carotid artery samples to analyze the proportions and the dysregulation of immune cell types within carotid atherosclerosis. We found that atherosclerotic immune cells had a diverse landscape dominated by T cells and myeloid cells and that macrophages and dendritic cells (DCs) showed different abundance in normal and atherosclerotic tissues. Moreover, the expression of macrophages was closely related to the level of the expression of DCs and of exhausted T cells, while the expression of T-helper type 1 (Th1) cells was strongly correlated with the expression of T-helper type 2 (Th2) cells and effector memory cells. Our data confirm a distinct profile of atherosclerosis-infiltrating immune cell subpopulations, which may inspire an immunological direction for research on atherosclerosis.
