Small steps can lead to big changes, and researchers from Japan have discovered a new step in the process of cell differentiation that results in the production of fully functional basophils, which are critical cells in the immune system.
Published in Nature Communications, a study by Tokyo Medical and Dental University (TMDU) researchers has revealed an intermediate step in the differentiation of precursor cells into mature basophils.
Basophils, which account for less than 1% of all white blood cells, are involved in allergic reactions and fighting infections. Several progenitor cell populations have been reported to differentiate into mature basophils in the bone marrow, where basophils typically reside until they are needed to respond to an allergen or infection.
“Recent developments in single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) technology have challenged the classical understanding of hematopoietic cell differentiation, suggesting that it is a continuous, rather than a stepwise, process,” says lead author Kensuke Miyake. “However, the continuous differentiation trajectory from basophil progenitors to mature basophils remains to be fully explained.”
To determine whether intermediate populations exist between progenitors and mature basophils, the researchers conducted highly sensitive scRNA-seq analysis of basophils derived from mice. The cells were assessed not only for differences in gene expression, but also for changes in protein expression on their surface and for features such as cell size and nucleus shape that characterize different cell populations.
2023-06-07 11:30:04
Source from phys.org rnrn