An examination of influenza immunity in pigs and their role in assessing antiviral therapies for humans
Abstract
The lung is dynamic barrier organ with a complex cell population. Pulmonary immune cells must balance an effective and tolerogenic response to keep homeostasis. Due to numerous similarities to the human respiratory system, the pig is an excellent biomedical model for lung diseases, however many aspects of the porcine immune system remain poorly characterized. Moreover, influenza A viruses infect humans and pigs every year, causing major economic and health impacts. Nevertheless, there immunological mechanisms of influenza infection in the pig are not yet completely understood. Here we employ single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) to create an immune atlas of the pig lung. Our data show conserved features as well as species-specific differences in cell states and cell types compared to mice and human pulmonary immune cells. We also investigate the impact an influenza infection on leukocytes, gene expression profiles and cellcell communication of pig and mice. Our data provides important insights into the pig pulmonary immune response in healthy and influenza-infected animals at a higher resolution than was previously available.
Degree
Ph. D.