Allergic diseases, including allergic rhinitis, atopic dermatitis and asthma, are highly prevalent in children and adults. They are generally caused by allergen-induced aberrant immune responses, and may also share genetic risks associated with expression of specific variants in lung and epithelial tissues, as well as blood cells. During the aberrant immune response, the development of memory T and B cell responses as well as IgE production occurs, followed by functional changes related to epithelial cells and barrier, tissue inflammation, and remodelling. Furthermore, distinct subsets of cells within implicated tissues may display variability in molecular pathways, morphology and cell functionality, and play important roles in the pathophysiology of allergic diseases. Hence, it is of extreme importance to understand molecular mechanisms at the base of these disorders at the single-cell level, as population-level studies might result in masking of phenomena occurring in specific cells.
Recent years have seen rapid advances in innovative single-cell experimental technologies in the fields of genomics, transcriptomics, proteomics, imaging and others. These are accompanied by advances in computational methods to analyze vast amounts of data emerging from single-cell technologies. Furthermore, cross-disciplinary studies integrating multiple single-cell methodologies to characterize various developmental cell states, stem cell biology, as well as diseases, including cancer, neurological disorders, and allergic diseases, have started to emerge. Experimental settings and technologies on the single-cell level include RNA sequencing (RNA-seq), quantitative PCR, chromatin accessibility, and mass-cytometry among other approaches. These approaches have been crucial in determining the effectiveness of immunotherapies, variability in drug dose responses, characterization of asthma endotypes, and cell-specific disease drivers amongst other things.
The areas that will be addressed in this research topic include, but are not limited to:
1. Single-cell level transcriptomic, genomic and/or proteomic studies to characterize molecular mechanisms and cellular responses in allergic diseases.
2. Functional implications of aberrant molecular mechanisms in cells involved in immune responses in allergic diseases, as characterized by single-cell level approaches.
3. Single-cell level studies aimed at measuring variability in drug sensitivity and immunotherapies in allergic diseases.
Keywords:
single-cell level, asthma, allergic diseases, single-cell technologies, RNA-seq
Important Note:
All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.
Allergic diseases, including allergic rhinitis, atopic dermatitis and asthma, are highly prevalent in children and adults. They are generally caused by allergen-induced aberrant immune responses, and may also share genetic risks associated with expression of specific variants in lung and epithelial tissues, as well as blood cells. During the aberrant immune response, the development of memory T and B cell responses as well as IgE production occurs, followed by functional changes related to epithelial cells and barrier, tissue inflammation, and remodelling. Furthermore, distinct subsets of cells within implicated tissues may display variability in molecular pathways, morphology and cell functionality, and play important roles in the pathophysiology of allergic diseases. Hence, it is of extreme importance to understand molecular mechanisms at the base of these disorders at the single-cell level, as population-level studies might result in masking of phenomena occurring in specific cells.
Recent years have seen rapid advances in innovative single-cell experimental technologies in the fields of genomics, transcriptomics, proteomics, imaging and others. These are accompanied by advances in computational methods to analyze vast amounts of data emerging from single-cell technologies. Furthermore, cross-disciplinary studies integrating multiple single-cell methodologies to characterize various developmental cell states, stem cell biology, as well as diseases, including cancer, neurological disorders, and allergic diseases, have started to emerge. Experimental settings and technologies on the single-cell level include RNA sequencing (RNA-seq), quantitative PCR, chromatin accessibility, and mass-cytometry among other approaches. These approaches have been crucial in determining the effectiveness of immunotherapies, variability in drug dose responses, characterization of asthma endotypes, and cell-specific disease drivers amongst other things.
The areas that will be addressed in this research topic include, but are not limited to:
1. Single-cell level transcriptomic, genomic and/or proteomic studies to characterize molecular mechanisms and cellular responses in allergic diseases.
2. Functional implications of aberrant molecular mechanisms in cells involved in immune responses in allergic diseases, as characterized by single-cell level approaches.
3. Single-cell level studies aimed at measuring variability in drug sensitivity and immunotherapies in allergic diseases.
Keywords:
single-cell level, asthma, allergic diseases, single-cell technologies, RNA-seq
Important Note:
All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.