3d virtual pathohistology of lung tissue from COVID-19 patients based on phase contrast x-ray tomography
- Georg-August-Universität Göttingen, Germany
- Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron (DESY), Germany
- Universitätsspital Basel, Switzerland
- Medizinische Hochschule Hannover (MHH), Germany
Abstract
We present a three-dimensional (3d) approach for virtual histology and histopathology based on multi-scale phase contrast x-ray tomography, and use this to investigate the parenchymal architecture of unstained lung tissue from patients who succumbed to Covid-19. Based on this first proof-of-concept study, we propose multi-scale phase contrast x-ray tomography as a tool to unravel the pathophysiology of Covid-19, extending conventional histology by a third dimension and allowing for full quantification of tissue remodeling. By combining parallel and cone beam geometry, autopsy samples with a maximum cross section of 4mm are scanned and reconstructed at a resolution and image quality which allows for the segmentation of individual cells. Using the zoom capability of the cone beam geometry, regions-of-interest are reconstructed with a minimum voxel size of 167 nm. We exemplify the capability of this approach by 3d visualisation of the DAD with its prominent hyaline membrane formation, by mapping the 3d distribution and density of lymphocytes infiltrating the tissue, and by providing histograms of characteristic distances from tissue interior to the closest air compartment.
Data availability
All datasets were uploaded to zenodo: 10.5281/zenodo.3892637
Article and author information
Author details
Funding
Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung (05K19MG2)
- Tim Salditt
H2020 European Research Council (771883)
- Danny Jonigk
Max-Planck School (Matter to Life)
- Marius Reichardt
- Tim Salditt
Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (-EXC 2067/1-390729940)
- Tim Salditt
Botnar Research Center of Child Health (BRCCH)
- Alexandar Tzankov
The funders had no role in study design, data collection and interpretation, or the decision to submit the work for publication.
Ethics
Human subjects: The study was approved by and conducted according to requirements of the ethics committees at the Hannover Medical School (vote Nr. 9022 BO K 2020).
Reviewing Editor
- Mone Zaidi, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, United States
Publication history
- Received: June 25, 2020
- Accepted: August 17, 2020
- Accepted Manuscript published: August 20, 2020 (version 1)
- Accepted Manuscript updated: August 25, 2020 (version 2)
- Version of Record published: September 4, 2020 (version 3)
Copyright
© 2020, Eckermann et al.
This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License permitting unrestricted use and redistribution provided that the original author and source are credited.
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Further reading
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- Immunology and Inflammation
Chronic autoimmune diseases are associated with mutations in PTPN22, a modifier of T cell receptor (TCR) signaling. As with all protein tyrosine phosphatases, the activity of PTPN22 is redox regulated, but if or how such regulation can modulate inflammatory pathways in vivo is not known. To determine this, we created a mouse with a cysteine-to-serine mutation at position 129 in PTPN22 (C129S), a residue proposed to alter the redox regulatory properties of PTPN22 by forming a disulfide with the catalytic C227 residue. The C129S mutant mouse showed a stronger T-cell-dependent inflammatory response and development of T-cell-dependent autoimmune arthritis due to enhanced TCR signaling and activation of T cells, an effect neutralized by a mutation in Ncf1, a component of the NOX2 complex. Activity assays with purified proteins suggest that the functional results can be explained by an increased sensitivity to oxidation of the C129S mutated PTPN22 protein. We also observed that the disulfide of native PTPN22 can be directly reduced by the thioredoxin system, while the C129S mutant lacking this disulfide was less amenable to reductive reactivation. In conclusion, we show that PTPN22 functionally interacts with Ncf1 and is regulated by oxidation via the noncatalytic C129 residue and oxidation-prone PTPN22 leads to increased severity in the development of T-cell-dependent autoimmunity.
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- Immunology and Inflammation
The oxidative state of a critical cysteine residue determines the enzymatic activity of a phosphatase involved in T-cell immune responses.
