Comprehensive Transcriptomic Comparison between Porcine CD8− and CD8+ Gamma Delta T Cells Revealed Distinct Immune Phenotype

Abstract

We aimed to comprehensively understand the functional mechanisms of immunity, especially of the CD8+/− subsets of gamma delta (γδ) T cells, using an RNA-sequencing analysis. Herein, γδ T cells were obtained from bronchial lymph node tissues of 38-day-old (after weaning 10-day: D10) and 56-day-old (after weaning 28-day: D28) weaned pigs and sorted into CD8+ and CD8− groups. Differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified based on the CD8 groups at D10 and D28 time points. We confirmed 1699 DEGs between D10 CD8+ versus D10 CD8− groups and 1784 DEGs between D28 CD8+ versus D28 CD8− groups; 646 upregulated and 561 downregulated DEGs were common. The common upregulated DEGs were enriched in the cytokine–cytokine receptor interaction and T cell receptor (TCR) signaling pathway, and the common downregulated DEGs were enriched in the B cell receptor signaling pathway. Further, chemokine-related genes, interferon gamma, and CD40 ligand were involved in the cytokine–cytokine receptor interaction and TCR signaling pathway, which are associated with inter-regulation in immunity. We expect our results to form the basic data required for understanding the mechanisms of γδ T cells in pigs; however, further studies are required in order to reveal the dynamic changes in γδ T cells under pathogenic infections, such as those by viruses.

Intestinal single-cell atlas reveals novel lymphocytes in pigs with similarities to human cells

“…Numerous studies have assessed transcriptional dynamics in the porcine intestinal tract but did not attempt to deconvolute cells into specific populations, a critical step in understanding functions of specific cells (Wang et al, 2008(Wang et al, , 2019aFreeman et al, 2012;Mach et al, 2014;Zhu et al, 2014;Inoue et al, 2015;Tan et al, 2017;Maroilley et al, 2018;Beiki et al, 2019;Meng et al, 2020;Summers et al, 2020;Jin et al, 2021;Pan et al, 2021). Some bulk RNA-seq studies have sorted porcine immune cells into specific populations based on cell surface markers but primarily focused on studying cells from the periphery and non-intestinal tissues (Auray et al, 2016(Auray et al, , 2020Foissac et al, 2019;Herrera-Uribe et al, 2021;Kim et al, 2021). Consequently, it remains to be determined whether existing data adequately portray the transcriptional heterogeneity of intestinal immune cells or if novelties exist in the context of the porcine intestine.…”

Intraepithelial lymphocytes in the pig intestine: T cell and innate lymphoid cell contributions to intestinal barrier immunity

“…Thus, CD8a expression by CD2 + gdTCR T-IELs likely correlates with altered functional capacities, though these functional differences are incompletely understood. Comparison of porcine CD2 + CD8aand CD2 + CD8a + gdTCR T cells completed outside of the context of the intestine supports CD8a as a marker gained upon activation/differentiation (120,123,124,132,137,(146)(147)(148)(149)(150)(151). However, we are cautious to apply such findings to gdTCR T-IELs, as IELs represent a unique compartment of immune cells that may have different dynamics.…”

Differences in Immune Characteristics and Related Gene Expression in Spleen among Ningxiang, Berkshire Breeds and Their Hybrid Pigs

“…CCR5 (chemokine receptor C-C chemokine receptor type 5) is present in various cell populations within the immune system, such as macrophages [63]. The modulation of inflammatory responses and immune-related functions is significantly influenced by CCR5 [64,65]. It is noteworthy that pro-inflammatory factors, such as IL-2 [66] and TNF-α, also play a crucial role [67], and INF-γ [68] can increase the expression of CCR5 in peripheral blood mononuclear cells.…”