| Differences in immune cells and gene expression in human milk by parity on integrated scRNA sequencing |
Dae Yong Yi1,2 
, Hong-Jai Park3, Min Sun Shin3, Hyoungsu Kim4, Sang Jin Lee5, Insoo Kang3 |
1Department of Pediatrics, Chung-Ang University Hospital, Seoul, Korea
2College of Medicine, Chung-Ang University, Seoul, Korea
3Department of Internal Medicine, Section of Rheumatology, Allergy & Immunology, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, United States
4Department of Internal Medicine, Hallym University School of Medicine, Kangdong Sacred Heart Hospital, Seoul, Korea
5Department of Internal Medicine, Kyungpook National University School of Medicine, Daegu, Korea |
Correspondence:
Dae Yong Yi, Email: meltemp2@hanmail.net
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Received: 19 October 2024 • Revised: 25 December 2024 • Accepted: 25 December 2024 |
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| Abstract |
Background
Human breast milk (HBM) is an important source of tolerogenic immune mediators that influence the infant immune system. HBM-derived immune components are affected by various factors; however, few studies have examined the relationship between parity and immune cell profiles of HBM.
Purpose
This study aimed to clarify the effects of parity on HBM immune cell heterogeneity and gene expression by integrating and analyzing publicly available single-cell RNA sequencing datasets.
Results
The proportion of innate immune cells was significantly higher in the primiparous versus multiparous group, whereas the proportion of adaptive immune cells was significantly higher in the multiparous group (p = 0.021). The two immune clusters were re-annotated and classified into monocyte, T/B cell, and CD45 groups. The proportions of monocytes and T/B cells were higher in the primiparous and multiparous groups, respectively. In a gene set enrichment analysis of monocytes, genes with a direct role in the infant immune system and immune response–related genes were more highly expressed in the primiparous group.
Conclusion
Our results support the parity-dependent differences in gene expression between innate and adaptive immune cells.
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| Key Words:
Human milk, single-cell RNA-seq, Parity |
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