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Listening in on Multicellular Communication in Human Tissue Immunology

Julian J Albers1,2, Karin Pelka1,3

  • 1Broad Institute of Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, United States.

Frontiers in Immunology
|May 31, 2022
PubMed

Insights

This study introduces multicellular hubs, which are functional modules of immune responses in human tissues. Understanding these hubs is key to dissecting cell-cell communication and immune system function.

Area of Science:

  • Immunology
  • Cell Biology
  • Systems Biology

Background:

  • Immune responses in human tissues involve complex interactions between various cell types.
  • Inter-cellular communication is crucial for regulating immune network function and cell fate.
  • New technologies enable systematic study of cell-cell interactions in primary human tissues.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To introduce the concept of multicellular hubs as functional modules of tissue-based immune responses.
  • To outline a strategy for discovering and characterizing these multicellular hubs.
  • To discuss the role of emerging technologies in advancing this research.

Main Methods:

  • Profiling of primary human tissues.
  • Experimental perturbation of cellular interactions.
  • Systematic identification of multicellular functional modules.

Main Results:

  • The concept of multicellular hubs is proposed as a framework for understanding tissue immunity.
  • A roadmap for discovering these hubs is presented.
  • Emerging technologies are highlighted for their potential to accelerate discovery.

Conclusions:

  • Multicellular hubs represent a novel way to conceptualize immune responses in tissues.
  • Further research using advanced technologies will elucidate the mechanisms of these hubs.
  • This framework will aid in understanding immune function and disease.

Keywords:
cell-cell communicationhuman immunologymulticellularinteraction networkssingle cellsystems immunologytissue biology

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