Skip to main content

LUP Student Papers

LUND UNIVERSITY LIBRARIES

Unveiling Immune Complexity and Regenerative Dynamics in Pleurodeles waltl: A Cross-Species Single-Cell Analysis

Vasantha Kumar, Nikhilesh (2024) BINP51 20232
Degree Projects in Bioinformatics
Popular Abstract
Unveiling the Immune System: Pleurodeles waltl and the Puzzle of Regeneration


Salamanders like Pleurodeles waltl have extraordinary regenerative capabilities, these creatures can regrow limbs, tails, and even parts of their hearts, a stark contrast to humans, who have much more limited regenerative abilities. Previous studies have shown that the immune system plays a major role in the regenerative capacity of the organism and this study aims to identify these immune cell populations in Pleurodeles waltl

Using single-cell RNA sequencing techniques, we compared the immune cells of Pleurodeles waltl with those of Homo sapiens and Xenopus laevis, another amphibian known for stronger immune responses but lesser regenerative abilities.... (More)
Unveiling the Immune System: Pleurodeles waltl and the Puzzle of Regeneration


Salamanders like Pleurodeles waltl have extraordinary regenerative capabilities, these creatures can regrow limbs, tails, and even parts of their hearts, a stark contrast to humans, who have much more limited regenerative abilities. Previous studies have shown that the immune system plays a major role in the regenerative capacity of the organism and this study aims to identify these immune cell populations in Pleurodeles waltl

Using single-cell RNA sequencing techniques, we compared the immune cells of Pleurodeles waltl with those of Homo sapiens and Xenopus laevis, another amphibian known for stronger immune responses but lesser regenerative abilities. This comparative approach has helped to understand both unique and shared immune cells across species, which has the potential to one day illuminating their roles in complex tissue regeneration.
Our findings have unveiled intriguing aspects of Pleurodeles waltl's immune system. Notably, the analysis of gene expression and gene ontology patterns revealed the presence of cell types such as putative regulatory T cells, which has not been reported in this species. Additionally, we identified a subset of B cells exhibiting characteristics of both innate and adaptive immunity. This dual functionality suggests a more integrated and perhaps evolutionarily primitive immune response in Pleurodeles waltl, which could be crucial for rapid and effective regenerative processes.

Furthermore, our cross-species analysis using SAMap has provided valuable insights into the evolutionary relationships and distances between the immune cell types of Pleurodeles waltl, Homo sapiens, and Xenopus. This comparative study not only highlights the evolutionary conservation of certain immune functions but also pinpoints divergence that may underpin species-specific regenerative capacities.


Master’s Degree Project in Bioinformatics 45 credits 2024
Department of Biology, Lund University

Advisor: Nicholas Leigh
Division of Molecular Medicine and Gene Therapy (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
Vasantha Kumar, Nikhilesh
supervisor
organization
course
BINP51 20232
year
type
H2 - Master's Degree (Two Years)
subject
language
English
id
9154470
date added to LUP
2024-05-27 11:50:46
date last changed
2024-05-27 11:50:46
@misc{9154470,
  author       = {{Vasantha Kumar, Nikhilesh}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  note         = {{Student Paper}},
  title        = {{Unveiling Immune Complexity and Regenerative Dynamics in Pleurodeles waltl: A Cross-Species Single-Cell Analysis}},
  year         = {{2024}},
}