B cell phylogenetics in the single cell era

Trends Immunol. 2023 Dec 27:S1471-4906(23)00258-2. doi: 10.1016/j.it.2023.11.004. Online ahead of print.ABSTRACTThe widespread availability of single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) has led to the development of new methods for understanding immune responses. Single-cell transcriptome data can now be paired with B cell receptor (BCR) sequences. However, RNA from BCRs cannot be analyzed like most other genes because BCRs are genetically diverse within individuals. In humans, BCRs are shaped through recombination followed by mutation and selection for antigen binding. As these processes co-occur with cell division, B cells can be studied using phylogenetic trees representing the mutations within a clone. B cell trees can link experimental timepoints, tissues, or cellular subtypes. Here, we review the current state and potential of how B cell phylogenetics can be combined with single-cell data to understand immune responses.PMID:38151443 | DOI:10.1016/j.it.2023.11.004

Source: Trends in Immunology - December 27, 2023 Category: Allergy & Immunology Authors: Kenneth B Hoehn Steven H Kleinstein Source Type: research