Single-cell transcriptomics uncovers key immune drivers of vaccine efficacy in cattle

Summary Comprehensive characterization of bovine immune cell populations is essential for improving animal welfare and disease resilience. We performed single-cell RNA sequencing on over 29,000 peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) from Angus cattle stratified by delayed-type hypersensitivity (...

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Main Authors: Annaleise Wilson, Pâmela A. Alexandre, Aaron M. Brice, Brad C. Hine, Aaron Ingham, Thibault P. R. A. Legrand, Caroline Royle, Dominic Niemeyer, Antonio Reverter, Stuart E. Denman, Ryan J. Farr
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: BMC 2025-08-01
Series:BMC Genomics
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Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1186/s12864-025-11915-0
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author Annaleise Wilson
Pâmela A. Alexandre
Aaron M. Brice
Brad C. Hine
Aaron Ingham
Thibault P. R. A. Legrand
Caroline Royle
Dominic Niemeyer
Antonio Reverter
Stuart E. Denman
Ryan J. Farr
author_facet Annaleise Wilson
Pâmela A. Alexandre
Aaron M. Brice
Brad C. Hine
Aaron Ingham
Thibault P. R. A. Legrand
Caroline Royle
Dominic Niemeyer
Antonio Reverter
Stuart E. Denman
Ryan J. Farr
author_sort Annaleise Wilson
collection DOAJ
description Summary Comprehensive characterization of bovine immune cell populations is essential for improving animal welfare and disease resilience. We performed single-cell RNA sequencing on over 29,000 peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) from Angus cattle stratified by delayed-type hypersensitivity (DTH), a proxy for the cellular immune response (Cell-IR). Unsupervised clustering identified major immune populations including CD4⁺ and CD8⁺ T cells, γδ T cells, B cells, monocytes, and dendritic cells. Differential gene expression suggests that low Cell-IR cattle have in elevated NKT inflammatory response, while high Cell-IR cattle have increased CD8- γδ T cell and pro-inflammatory myeloid activity. Intercellular communication analysis using CellChat highlighted pro-inflammatory cytokine cascades, particularly the IL-1β– IL-1R1 ligand-receptor interactions. This study provides a high-resolution atlas of Angus PBMCs and establishes a framework for linking immune cell composition with functional immune phenotypes in cattle.
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institution Kabale University
issn 1471-2164
language English
publishDate 2025-08-01
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series BMC Genomics
spelling doaj-art-29c43e45c2644e6a93ab5dd042a0739a2025-08-24T11:09:32ZengBMCBMC Genomics1471-21642025-08-0126111810.1186/s12864-025-11915-0Single-cell transcriptomics uncovers key immune drivers of vaccine efficacy in cattleAnnaleise Wilson0Pâmela A. Alexandre1Aaron M. Brice2Brad C. Hine3Aaron Ingham4Thibault P. R. A. Legrand5Caroline Royle6Dominic Niemeyer7Antonio Reverter8Stuart E. Denman9Ryan J. Farr10CSIRO Health & Biosecurity, Australian Centre for Disease PreparednessCSIRO Agriculture & Food, Queensland Biosciences PrecinctCSIRO Health & Biosecurity, Australian Centre for Disease PreparednessCSIRO Agriculture & Food, FD McMaster LaboratoryCSIRO Agriculture & Food, Queensland Biosciences PrecinctCSIRO Agriculture & Food, Queensland Biosciences PrecinctCSIRO Australian Animal Health Laboratory, Australian Centre for Disease PreparednessCSIRO Agriculture & Food, FD McMaster LaboratoryCSIRO Agriculture & Food, Queensland Biosciences PrecinctCSIRO Agriculture & Food, Queensland Biosciences PrecinctCSIRO Health & Biosecurity, Australian Centre for Disease PreparednessSummary Comprehensive characterization of bovine immune cell populations is essential for improving animal welfare and disease resilience. We performed single-cell RNA sequencing on over 29,000 peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) from Angus cattle stratified by delayed-type hypersensitivity (DTH), a proxy for the cellular immune response (Cell-IR). Unsupervised clustering identified major immune populations including CD4⁺ and CD8⁺ T cells, γδ T cells, B cells, monocytes, and dendritic cells. Differential gene expression suggests that low Cell-IR cattle have in elevated NKT inflammatory response, while high Cell-IR cattle have increased CD8- γδ T cell and pro-inflammatory myeloid activity. Intercellular communication analysis using CellChat highlighted pro-inflammatory cytokine cascades, particularly the IL-1β– IL-1R1 ligand-receptor interactions. This study provides a high-resolution atlas of Angus PBMCs and establishes a framework for linking immune cell composition with functional immune phenotypes in cattle.https://doi.org/10.1186/s12864-025-11915-0Adaptive immunityBovine immunologyGamma-delta T cellsInnate immunitySingle cell sequencingTranscriptome
spellingShingle Annaleise Wilson
Pâmela A. Alexandre
Aaron M. Brice
Brad C. Hine
Aaron Ingham
Thibault P. R. A. Legrand
Caroline Royle
Dominic Niemeyer
Antonio Reverter
Stuart E. Denman
Ryan J. Farr
Single-cell transcriptomics uncovers key immune drivers of vaccine efficacy in cattle
BMC Genomics
Adaptive immunity
Bovine immunology
Gamma-delta T cells
Innate immunity
Single cell sequencing
Transcriptome
title Single-cell transcriptomics uncovers key immune drivers of vaccine efficacy in cattle
title_full Single-cell transcriptomics uncovers key immune drivers of vaccine efficacy in cattle
title_fullStr Single-cell transcriptomics uncovers key immune drivers of vaccine efficacy in cattle
title_full_unstemmed Single-cell transcriptomics uncovers key immune drivers of vaccine efficacy in cattle
title_short Single-cell transcriptomics uncovers key immune drivers of vaccine efficacy in cattle
title_sort single cell transcriptomics uncovers key immune drivers of vaccine efficacy in cattle
topic Adaptive immunity
Bovine immunology
Gamma-delta T cells
Innate immunity
Single cell sequencing
Transcriptome
url https://doi.org/10.1186/s12864-025-11915-0
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