Index: Karolinska Institutet: KI North: Department of Medicine, Solna


Deciphering human mast cells heterogeneity and cell interaction networks in human lungs


Supervisor: Elin Rönnberg Höckerlind
Department: Dept Medicine (Solna)
Postal Address: NKS BioClinicum, J7: 30
Visionsgatan 4
171 64 Solna
Telephone: 0768117819

E-mail: elin.ronnberg.hockerlind@ki.se
Homepage: https://ki.se/en/meds/research-group-gunnar-nilsson-immunology-and-allergy


Mast cells are strongly implicated in the pathogenesis of allergies and asthma. However, the role of different mast cell populations and how they are regulated remains unclear. Mast cells have been shown to be heterogenous by immunohistological teqniques, mast cells from compartments of the lung differ and we hypothesis that this is regulated through interaction with neighboring cells. We aim to characterize this heterogeneity mast cells and how it is regulated through interactions with neighboring cells and by single cell RNA sequencing (scRNAseq). We hope to define novel mast cell subpopulations that will be investigated for functional differences. To elucidate the interactions with neighboring cells that regulate mast cell heterogeneity, receptor-ligand expression will be investigated in different compartments of the lung by scRNAseq.

We are recruiting a bioinformatics master student that will initially analyze human lung mast cells heterogeneity in published scRNAseq datasets from human lungs and our own sorted human lung mast cell scRNAseq dataset. We are also planning to perform scRNAseq on cells from different compartments of the lung (bigger airways, blood vessels and parenchyma) and from this receptor-ligand interaction networks will be built.

This project has the potential to discover functionally different novel mast cell subpopulations and novel cell-cell interactions in the lung that can have an impact on diseases were mast cells play a central role, such as allergies and asthma. The end goal is to specifically be able to inhibit pathogenic mast cell subsets in disease.

Back to top