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The shared role of neutrophils in ankylosing spondylitis and ulcerative colitis

Genes & Immunity volume 25, pages 324–335 (2024)Cite this article

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Abstract

This study aimed to analyze single-cell sequencing data to investigate immune cell interactions in ankylosing spondylitis (AS) and ulcerative colitis (UC). Vertebral bone marrow blood was collected from three AS patients for 10X single-cell sequencing. Analysis of single-cell data revealed distinct cell types in AS and UC patients. Cells significantly co-expressing immune cells (P < 0.05) were subjected to communication analysis. Overlapping genes of these co-expressing immune cells were subjected to GO and KEGG analyses. Key genes were identified using STRING and Cytoscape to assess their correlation with immune cell expression. The results showed the significance of neutrophils in both diseases (P < 0.01), with notable interactions identified through communication analysis. XBP1 emerged as a Hub gene for both diseases, with AUC values of 0.760 for AS and 0.933 for UC. Immunohistochemistry verified that the expression of XBP1 was significantly lower in the AS group and significantly greater in the UC group than in the control group (P < 0.01). This finding highlights the critical role of neutrophils in both AS and UC, suggesting the presence of shared immune response elements. The identification of XBP1 as a potential therapeutic target offers promising intervention avenues for both diseases.

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Fig. 1: Study flowchart.
Fig. 2: Immune cell screening of AS.
Fig. 3: Immune cell screening of UC.
Fig. 4: Analysis of common differential genes of AS and UC.
Fig. 5: Screen the Hub-gene XBP1.
Fig. 6: Cell cycle analysis and intercellular communication analysis in AS.
Fig. 7: Cell cycle analysis and intercellular communication analysis in UC.

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Data availability

The datasets generated during and/or analyzed during the current study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.

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Funding

This study was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant/Award number: 8236090175), Guangxi Natural Science Foundation (Grant/Award number: 2023JJA140227), the “Medical Excellence Award” Funded by the Creative Research Development Grant from the First Affiliated Hospital of Guangxi Medical University, and Guangxi Young and Middle-aged Teacher’s Basic Ability Promoting Project (Grant/Award Number: 2023KY0115).

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  1. These authors contributed equally: Tianyou Chen, Weiming Tan.

Authors and Affiliations

  1. The First Affiliated Hospital of Guangxi Medical University, Nanning, Guangxi, PR China

    Tianyou Chen, Weiming Tan, Xinli Zhan, Chenxing Zhou, Jichong Zhu, Shaofeng Wu, Boli Qin, Rongqing He, Xiaopeng Qin, Wendi Wei, Chengqian Huang, Bin Zhang, Sitan Feng & Chong Liu

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  1. Tianyou Chen
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Contributions

Conceptualization: Tianyou Chen, Chong Liu; Methodology: Tianyou Chen, Weiming Tan; Formal analysis and investigation: Chenxing Zhou, Bin Zhang, Jichong Zhu; Writing—original draft preparation: Chengqian Huang; Writing—review and editing: Tianyou Chen, Chong Liu; Funding acquisition: Chong Liu; Data curation: Shaofeng Wu, Boli Qin, Rongqing He; Resources: Xiaopeng Qin, Wendi Wei; Software: Sitan Feng; Supervision: Xinli Zhan, Chong Liu; Validation and Visualization: Weiming Tan.

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Correspondence to Chong Liu.

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We confirm that all subjects and/or their legal guardians provided written informed consent for participation in this study. Prior approval of the study was obtained from the institutional ethical review board of our Hospital (Approval No. 2024-E042-01). The study complies with the Declaration of Helsinki.

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Chen, T., Tan, W., Zhan, X. et al. The shared role of neutrophils in ankylosing spondylitis and ulcerative colitis. Genes Immun 25, 324–335 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41435-024-00286-3

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