Single-cell RNA sequencing of murine ankle joints over time reveals distinct transcriptional changes following Borrelia burgdorferi infection
Jennifer D. Helble,
Michael J. Walsh,
Julie E. McCarthy,
Neal P. Smith,
Alice J. Tirard,
Benjamin Y. Arnold,
Alexandra-Chloe Villani,
Linden T. Hu
Affiliations
Jennifer D. Helble
Department of Molecular Biology and Microbiology, Tufts University School of Medicine, Boston, MA 02111, USA
Michael J. Walsh
Division of Gastroenterology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA 02114, USA; Department of Cancer Immunology and Virology, Dana Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA 02215, USA
Julie E. McCarthy
Department of Molecular Biology and Microbiology, Tufts University School of Medicine, Boston, MA 02111, USA
Neal P. Smith
Department of Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA 02114, USA
Alice J. Tirard
Department of Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA 02114, USA
Benjamin Y. Arnold
Department of Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA 02114, USA
Alexandra-Chloe Villani
Department of Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA 02114, USA
Linden T. Hu
Department of Molecular Biology and Microbiology, Tufts University School of Medicine, Boston, MA 02111, USA; Corresponding author
Summary: Lyme disease is caused by the bacterial pathogen Borrelia burgdorferi, which can be readily modeled in laboratory mice. In order to understand the cellular and transcriptional changes that occur during B. burgdorferi infection, we conducted single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) of ankle joints of infected C57BL/6 mice over time. We found that macrophages/monocytes, T cells, synoviocytes and fibroblasts all showed significant differences in gene expression of both inflammatory and non-inflammatory genes that peaked early and returned to baseline before the typical resolution of arthritis. Predictions of cellular interactions showed that macrophages appear to communicate extensively between different clusters of macrophages as well as with fibroblasts and synoviocytes. Our data give unique insights into the interactions between B. burgdorferi and the murine immune system over time and allow for a better understanding of mechanisms by which the dysregulation of the immune response may lead to prolonged symptoms in some patients.
