Characterizing Intestinal Fibroblast Diversity in Health and Inflammatory Bowel Disease Through Single-Cell Analysis
Melissa Ensmenger - Master Thesis Presentation
Zurich Seminars in Bioinformatics
- 12:15 UZH Irchel Y55-l-06/08 and ZOOM Call
Abstract Crohn’s disease (CD), a form of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) characterized by chronic intestinal inflammation, emerges from a complex interplay of genetic, environmental, and cellular factors. Among these, intestinal fibroblasts represent a pivotal yet underexplored component. Leveraging single-cell RNA sequencing and CITE-seq, we conducted a comprehensive analysis of 154,000 cells from the lamina propria, submucosa, and gut-associated lymphoid tissues of both the colon and small intestine derived from a cohort of 4 CD patients and 6 healthy controls. This investigation enabled the identification of four distinct fibroblast populations, each characterized by distinctive transcriptional identities, functional roles, and diverse distribution across intestinal sites. Through differential gene expression analysis and gene set enrichment analysis, we investigated changes in the predominant fibroblast population in the ileal lamina propria of CD patients, uncovering a potential involvement of these cells in disease pathogenesis.