Telocytes regulate macrophages in periodontal disease
Abstract
Telocytes (TCs) or interstitial cells are characterised in vivo by their long projections that contact other cell types. Although telocytes can be found in many different tissues including the heart1, lung2 and intestine3, their tissue-specific roles are poorly understood. Here we identify a specific cell signalling role for telocytes in the periodontium whereby telocytes regulate macrophage activity. We performed scRNA-seq and lineage tracing to identify telocytes and macrophages in mouse periodontium in homeostasis and periodontitis and carried out HGF signalling inhibition experiments using Tivantinib. We show that telocytes are quiescent in homeostasis, however, they proliferate and serve as a major source of HGF in periodontitis. Macrophages receive telocyte-derived HGF signals and shift from an M1 to a M1/M2 state. Our results reveal the source of HGF signals in periodontal tissue and provide new insights into the function of telocytes in regulating macrophage behaviour in periodontitis through HGF/Met cell signalling, that may provide a novel approach in periodontitis treatment.
Data availability
Sequencing data have been deposited in GEO under accession codes GSE167917 and GSE160358.
-
Telocytes regulate tissue resident macrophages in periodontal diseaseNCBI Gene Expression Omnibus, GSE167917.
-
Periodontal ligament tissue periodontitisNCBI Gene Expression Omnibus, GSM5115470.
-
Cells in healthy periodontal ligamentNCBI Gene Expression Omnibus, GSE160358.
Article and author information
Author details
Funding
Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (N/A)
- Paul Sharpe
NIHR BioResource (N/A)
- Paul Sharpe
The funders had no role in study design, data collection and interpretation, or the decision to submit the work for publication.
Ethics
Animal experimentation: All mouse work was approved by UK Home Office under the project license 70/7866 and P5F0A1579, approved by the KCL animal ethics committee.
Copyright
© 2022, Zhao 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.
Metrics
-
- 1,002
- views
-
- 210
- downloads
-
- 11
- citations
Views, downloads and citations are aggregated across all versions of this paper published by eLife.
Download links
Downloads (link to download the article as PDF)
Open citations (links to open the citations from this article in various online reference manager services)
Cite this article (links to download the citations from this article in formats compatible with various reference manager tools)
Further reading
-
- Cell Biology
- Genetics and Genomics
Single-nucleus RNA sequencing (snRNA-seq), an alternative to single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq), encounters technical challenges in obtaining high-quality nuclei and RNA, persistently hindering its applications. Here, we present a robust technique for isolating nuclei across various tissue types, remarkably enhancing snRNA-seq data quality. Employing this approach, we comprehensively characterize the depot-dependent cellular dynamics of various cell types underlying mouse adipose tissue remodeling during obesity. By integrating bulk nuclear RNA-seq from adipocyte nuclei of different sizes, we identify distinct adipocyte subpopulations categorized by size and functionality. These subpopulations follow two divergent trajectories, adaptive and pathological, with their prevalence varying by depot. Specifically, we identify a key molecular feature of dysfunctional hypertrophic adipocytes, a global shutdown in gene expression, along with elevated stress and inflammatory responses. Furthermore, our differential gene expression analysis reveals distinct contributions of adipocyte subpopulations to the overall pathophysiology of adipose tissue. Our study establishes a robust snRNA-seq method, providing novel insights into the biological processes involved in adipose tissue remodeling during obesity, with broader applicability across diverse biological systems.
-
- Cell Biology
A combination of intermittent fasting and administering Wnt3a proteins to a bone injury can rejuvenate bone repair in aged mice.