Highlights d Healthy gut contains ILC1s, ILC3s, and ILC3/NKs, but no ILC2s d Blood and tumor ILCs from CRC patients have unique transcriptomic features d Tumor tissue from CRC patients contains a tumor specific ILC1-like subset and ILC2s d SLAMF1 is identified as an anti-tumor biomarker in CRC

: The cell is the unit of life for all organisms, and all cells are certainly not the same. So the technology to generate transcription expression or genomic DNA profiles from single cells is crucial. Since its establishment in 2009, single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) has emerged as a major driver behind progress in biomedical research. During the course of last three years, several new single-cell sequencing platforms were released. Yet there are only a few systematic comparisons of the advantages and limitations of these commonly used platforms. Here we compare two single-cell sequencing platforms: BD Rhapsody and 10x Genomics Chrominum, including their different mechanisms and some scRNA-seq results obtained with them.

Background/Aims: Previous studies imply that telocytes may have a protective effect on fibrosis in various organs, including the liver, colon, and heart. The effect of telocytes on renal fibrosis remains unknown. Herein, this study was designed to investigate the effect of telocytes on renal fibrosis and the potential mechanisms involved. Methods: In a unilateral ureteral obstruction (UUO)-induced renal fibrosis model, telocytes were injected via the tail vein every other day for 10 days. The degree of renal damage and fibrosis was determined using histological assessment. The expression of collagen I, fibronectin, epithelial-mesenchymal transition markers, and Smad2/3 phosphorylation was examined by western blot analyses. Real-time PCR and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay were performed in vivo to detect the levels of transforming growth factor (TGF)-β1 and various growth factors. Results: Telocytes attenuated renal fibrosis, as evidenced by reduced interstitial collagen accumulation, decreased expression of fibronectin and collagen I, upregulation of E-cadherin, and downregulation of α-smooth muscle actin. Furthermore, telocytes decreased serum TGF-β1 levels, suppressed Smad2/3 phosphorylation, and increased the expression of hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) in rat kidney tissue following UUO. Blockage of HGF counteracted the protective effect of telocytes on UUO-treated kidneys. Through the detection of HGF mRNA levels in vitro, we found that telocytes had no effect on HGF expression compared with renal fibroblasts. Conclusion: Telocytes attenuated UUO-induced renal fibrosis in rats, likely through enhancing the expression of HGF in an indirect manner.

Fundamental to viral biology is identification and annotation of viral genes and their function. Determining the level of coronavirus gene expression is inherently difficult due to the positive stranded RNA genome and the identification of subgenomic RNAs (sgRNAs) that are required for expression of most viral genes. We developed a bioinformatic pipeline to analyze metatranscriptomic data from 20 independent studies encompassing 588 individual samples and 10 coronavirus species. This comparative analysis defined a core sgRNA repertoire for SARS-CoV-2 and found novel sgRNAs that could encode functional short peptides. Relevant to coronavirus infectivity and transmission, we also observed that the ratio of Spike sgRNA to Nucleocapsid one is highest in SARS-CoV-2, among the β-coronaviruses examined. Furthermore, the adjustment of this ratio can be made by modifications to the viral RNA replication machinery, representing a form of viral gene regulation that may be involved in host adaption.