AUTHOR=Windhorst Anita C. , Heydarian Motaharehsadat , Schwarz Maren , Oak Prajakta , Förster Kai , Frankenberger Marion , Gonzalez Rodriguez Erika , Zhang Xin , Ehrhardt Harald , Hübener Christoph , Flemmer Andreas W. , Hossain Hamid , Stoeger Tobias , Schulz Christian , Hilgendorff Anne 

TITLE=Monocyte signature as a predictor of chronic lung disease in the preterm infant

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Immunology

VOLUME=Volume 14 - 2023

YEAR=2023

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/immunology/articles/10.3389/fimmu.2023.1112608

DOI=10.3389/fimmu.2023.1112608

ISSN=1664-3224

ABSTRACT=Inflammation is a key driver of morbidity in the vulnerable preterm infant exposed to pre- and postnatal hazards and significantly contributes to chronic lung disease, i.e. bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD). However, the early changes in innate immunity associated with BPD development are incompletely understood. In the present study, we demonstrated the early postnatal predominance of nonclassical (CD14+CD16++) and intermediate (CD14++CD16+) monocytes as well as a distinct, corresponding cytokine signature highlighting TNFα as a critical regulator in cord blood of infants developing BPD. Transcriptome analysis of immune networks revealed a monocyte-centered, profibrotic signature at birth with disease severity-dependent expression patterns. These findings could influence future diagnostic and treatment strategies targeting the monocytic cell and its progeny.