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Publications

Journal Article Review Epublish

PubMed: 40401523 DOI: 10.1172/jci.insight.191059

Transcriptional signatures of endothelial cells shape immune responses in cardiopulmonary health and disease.

JCI Insight 10(10)

Authors: Elisabeth Fließer, Katharina Jandl, Shiau-Haln Chen, Mei-Tzu Wang, Jonas C Schupp, Wolfgang M Kuebler, Andrew H Baker, Grazyna Kwapiszewska

Affiliations

  • Otto Loewi Research Center, Lung Research Cluster, Medical University of Graz, Graz, Austria. Institute for Lung Health, Cardiopulmonary Institute, Member of German Lung Center, Justus-Liebig University, Giessen, Germany.
  • Otto Loewi Research Center, Lung Research Cluster, Medical University of Graz, Graz, Austria.
  • Division of Pharmacology, Otto Loewi Research Center, Medical University of Graz, Graz, Austria.
  • Centre for Cardiovascular Science, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom.
  • Centre for Cardiovascular Science, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom. Institute of Emergency and Critical Care Medicine, National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University, Taipei, Taiwan.
  • Section of Pulmonary, Critical Care, and Sleep Medicine, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut, USA.
  • Department of Pulmonary and Infectious Diseases, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany.
  • Biomedical Research in End-Stage and Obstructive Lung Disease (BREATH), German Center for Lung Research BREATH, Hannover, Germany.
  • Institute of Physiology, Charité-Universitätsmedizin, Berlin, Germany. German Center for Cardiovascular Research, Partner Site Berlin, Berlin, Germany. German Center for Lung Research, Associated Partner Site Berlin, Berlin, Germany. Department of Surgery and. Department of Physiology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Keenan Research Centre, St Michael's Hospital, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
  • Department of Pathology, Cardiovascular Research Institute Maastricht, School for Cardiovascular Diseases, Maastricht University, Maastricht, Netherlands.
  • Institute for Lung Health, Cardiopulmonary Institute, Member of German Lung Center, Justus-Liebig University, Giessen, Germany.

Abstract

The cardiopulmonary vasculature and its associated endothelial cells (ECs) play an essential role in sustaining life by ensuring the delivery of oxygen and nutrients. Beyond these foundational functions, ECs serve as key regulators of immune responses. Recent advances in single-cell RNA sequencing have revealed that the cardiopulmonary vasculature is composed of diverse EC subpopulations, some of which exhibit specialized immunomodulatory properties. Evidence for immunomodulation includes distinct expression profiles associated with antigen presentation, cytokine secretion, immune cell recruitment, translocation, and clearance - functions critical for maintaining homeostasis in the heart and lungs. In cardiopulmonary diseases, ECs undergo substantial transcriptional reprogramming, leading to a shift from homeostasis to an activated state marked by heightened immunomodulatory activity. This transformation has highlighted the critical role for ECs in disease pathogenesis and their potential as future therapy targets. This Review emphasizes the diverse functions of ECs in the heart and lungs, particularly adaptive and maladaptive immunoregulatory roles in cardiopulmonary health and disease.

MeSH

Cells, Lung, Biomedical Research, Homeostasis, Heart, Immunity, Endothelial Cells

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