Assessing the effects of aging on the renal endothelial cell landscape using single-cell RNA sequencing

Frontiers in Genetics

Genetics

Yanjing Huang¹  Zhong Liu¹  Dongliang Wang¹  Li Sun¹  Caineng Pan¹  Qikai Zhang¹  Yuheng Lin¹  Mengke Li²  Yingfeng Zheng² 

[1] Zhongshan Ophthalmic Center, Guangzhou, China;Zhongshan Ophthalmic Center, Guangzhou, China;Research Unit of Ocular Development and Regeneration, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Beijing, China;

关键词: aging;    single-cell sequencing;    renal endothelial cells;    glomerular endothelial cells;    inflammation;   

DOI  :  10.3389/fgene.2023.1175716

 received in 2023-02-28, accepted in 2023-04-13,  发布年份 2023

来源: Frontiers

【 摘 要 】

Endothelial cells (ECs) with senescence-associated secretory phenotypes (SASP) have been identified as a key mechanism of aging that contributes to various age-related kidney diseases. In this study, we used single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) to create a transcriptome atlas of murine renal ECs and identify transcriptomic changes that occur during aging. We identified seven different subtypes of renal ECs, with glomerular ECs and angiogenic ECs being the most affected by senescence. We confirmed our scRNA-seq findings by using double immunostaining for an EC marker (CD31) and markers of specialized EC phenotypes. Our analysis of the dynamics of capillary lineage development revealed a chronic state of inflammation and compromised glomerular function as prominent aging features. Additionally, we observed an elevated pro-inflammatory and pro-coagulant microenvironment in aged glomerular ECs, which may contribute to age-related glomerulosclerosis and renal fibrosis. Through intercellular communication analysis, we also identified changes in signaling involved in immune regulation that may contribute to a hostile microenvironment for renal homeostasis and function. Overall, our findings provide new insights into the mechanisms of aging in the renal endothelium and may pave the way for the discovery of diagnostic biomarkers and therapeutic interventions against age-related kidney diseases.

【 授权许可】

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Copyright © 2023 Li, Wang, Liu, Huang, Zhang, Pan, Lin, Sun and Zheng.