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Single‐cell sequencing reveals microglia induced angiogenesis by specific subsets of endothelial cells following spinal cord injury
Author(s) -
Yao Chun,
Cao Yuqi,
Wang Dong,
Lv Yehua,
Liu Yan,
Gu Xiaosong,
Wang Yongjun,
Wang Xuhua,
Yu Bin
Publication year - 2022
Publication title -
the faseb journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.709
H-Index - 277
eISSN - 1530-6860
pISSN - 0892-6638
DOI - 10.1096/fj.202200337r
Subject(s) - angiogenesis , microglia , spinal cord injury , cell type , lesion , spinal cord , endothelial stem cell , biology , immune system , endogeny , microbiology and biotechnology , neuroscience , immunology , cell , inflammation , medicine , pathology , cancer research , in vitro , endocrinology , genetics
Spinal cord injury (SCI) results in dynamic alterations of the microenvironment at the lesion site, which inevitably leads to neuronal degeneration and functional impairment. The destruction of the spinal vascular system leads to a significant deterioration of the milieu, which exacerbates inflammatory response and deprives cells of nutrient support in the lesion. Limited endogenous angiogenesis occurs after SCI, but the cellular events at the lesion site during this process are unclear so far. Here, we performed single‐cell RNA sequencing (scRNA‐seq) on spinal cord tissues of rats at different time points after SCI. After clustering and cell‐type identification, we focused on vascular endothelial cells (ECs), which play a pivotal role in angiogenesis, and drew the cellular and molecular atlas for angiogenesis after SCI. We found that microglia and macrophages promote endogenous angiogenesis by regulating EC subsets through SPP1 and IGF signaling pathways. Our results indicate that immune cells promote angiogenesis by regulating specific subsets of vascular ECs, which provides new clues for exploring SCI intervention.