Single-cell transcriptome profiling reveals diverse immune cell populations and their responses to viral infection in the spleen of zebrafish

Abstract

Teleost fish are indispensable model organisms for comparative immunology research that should lead to an improved understanding of the general principles of vertebrate immune system design. Although numerous studies on fish immunology have been conducted, knowledge about the cell types that orchestrate piscine immune systems remains limited. Here, we generated a comprehensive atlas of immune cell types in zebrafish spleen on the basis of single-cell transcriptome profiling. We identified 11 major categories from splenic leukocyte preparations, including neutrophils, natural killer cells, macrophages/myeloid cells, T cells, B cells, hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells, mast cells, remnants of endothelial cells, erythroid cells, erythroid progenitors, and a new type of serpin-secreting cells. Notably, we derived 54 potential subsets from these 11 categories. These subsets showed differential responses to spring viremia of carp virus (SVCV) infection, implying that they have diverse roles in antiviral immunity. Additionally, we landscaped the populations with the induced expression of interferons and other virus-responsive genes. We found that trained immunity can be effectively induced in the neutrophil and M1-macrophage subsets by vaccinating zebrafish with inactivated SVCV. Our findings illustrated the complexity and heterogeneity of the fish immune system, which will help establish a new paradigm for the improved understanding of fish immunology.

Keywords: antiviral immunity; atlas of immune cells; heterogeneity of fish immune cells; single-cell transcriptome profiling; trained immunity; zebrafish.