The Immunoregulatory Architecture of the Adult Oral Cavity

Cite

Matuck, B.F., Huynh, K., Pereira, D., Zhang, X., Kunz, M., Kumar, N., Easter, Q.T., Fernandes, A., Ghodke, A., Predeus, A. and Szabo, L., 2024. The Immunoregulatory Architecture of the Adult Oral Cavity. bioRxiv. https://doi.org/10.1101/2024.12.01.626279

Abstract

The oral cavity is a critical barrier with immunosurveillance capabilities. A detailed understanding of its cellular, molecular, and spatial architecture is essential for advancing precision medicine across aerodigestive tissues. Here, we present the first integrated atlas of human adult oral and craniofacial tissues, derived from single-cell RNA sequencing of ∼250,000 cells from 70 samples across 13 niches, including salivary glands and oral mucosae. Complementary spatial atlases using a 40-plex protein and 300-plex transcriptomics panels were developed, covering >2 million cells. Using our new AstroSuite package, we identified 8 tissue cellular neighborhoods (TCNs) and 17 multicellular interaction modules (MCIMs) across gland and mucosae in health. Diverse fibrovascular TCNs emerged as centralized hubs, coordinating immune cell migration and activation. Mucosal hubs within stroma displayed higher immune cell density, diversity, and activation than glands, underscoring differences in functional architecture. In keratinized and nonkeratinized mucosae, common fibrovascular hubs, and MCIMs revealed a specialized biogeography of immunoregulation. Under chronic inflammation, mucosal TCNs were fragmented, and MCIMs involving fibroblasts and immune cells were reorganized and expanded. Focused analysis of tertiary lymphoid structures (TLS) and fibroblasts identified TLS-associated MCIMs and drug candidates targeting these spatial interactions, offering a foundational framework for broadly dissecting mucosal immunity to guide precision medicine approaches.

Datasets

1. Oral and Craniofacial Atlas

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Reference genome
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Age
Cell type
Assay
Disease
Sex
Tissue
Ethnicity
Leiden clustering
Epithelial cells62303 cells
Vasculature58065 cells
Lymphoid cells49863 cells
Fibroblasts46247 cells
Myeloid cells19492 cells
Neural Crest-derived9664 cells
Mineralized443 cells
Muscle cells26 cells
The Immunoregulatory Architecture of the Adult Oral Cavity

2. Mucosal Atlas

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Vascular endothelial cells23920 cells
Fibroblasts19235 cells
CD4 T cells7644 cells
Mural cells7375 cells
Keratinocytes6802 cells
CD8 T cells5367 cells
Plasma cells2768 cells
Lymphatic endothelial cells2278 cells
Mast cells1960 cells
Monocytes/Macrophages1925 cells
Natural Killer cells1604 cells
B cells1544 cells
Dendritic cells1497 cells
Neutrophils814 cells
Langerhans cells618 cells
Acinar cells558 cells
Melanocytes374 cells
Schwann cells323 cells
Ductal epithelial cells265 cells
Merkel cells52 cells
Muscle cells51 cells
Myoepithelial cells26 cells
The Immunoregulatory Architecture of the Adult Oral Cavity

3. Pulp Atlas

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Fibroblasts23077 cells
Vascular endothelial cells10658 cells
Mural cells6281 cells
Schwann cells6166 cells
Monocytes/Macrophages1555 cells
CD4 T cells1060 cells
CD8 T cells1053 cells
Odontoblasts620 cells
Natural Killer cells217 cells
Neutrophils89 cells
Dendritic cells81 cells
Peripherial neurons51 cells
B cells19 cells
The Immunoregulatory Architecture of the Adult Oral Cavity

4. Gland Atlas

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Acinar cells29997 cells
Ductal epithelial cells3846 cells
Fibroblasts3630 cells
Plasma cells2979 cells
Vascular endothelial cells2205 cells
CD8 T cells2063 cells
Monocytes/Macrophages1092 cells
Mural cells778 cells
Neutrophils665 cells
CD4 T cells657 cells
Keratinocytes586 cells
Schwann cells529 cells
Dendritic cells331 cells
Ionocytes315 cells
Myoepithelial cells220 cells
Natural Killer cells155 cells
Lymphatic endothelial cells81 cells
Muscle cells56 cells
B cells55 cells
The Immunoregulatory Architecture of the Adult Oral Cavity

5. Minor Salivary Gland Atlas

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Acinar cells18786 cells
Fibroblasts2800 cells
Plasma cells2455 cells
Ductal epithelial cells2361 cells
Vascular endothelial cells1513 cells
CD8 T cells1025 cells
Mural cells606 cells
Myoepithelial cells431 cells
Monocytes/Macrophages416 cells
CD4 T cells300 cells
Keratinocytes214 cells
Dendritic cells168 cells
Ionocytes110 cells
Neutrophils92 cells
Lymphatic endothelial cells78 cells
Muscle cells47 cells
B cells35 cells
Natural Killer cells31 cells
The Immunoregulatory Architecture of the Adult Oral Cavity

6. Buccal and Labial Atlas

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Vascular endothelial cells9788 cells
Fibroblasts6524 cells
Mural cells2641 cells
CD4 T cells2167 cells
CD8 T cells1932 cells
Keratinocytes1738 cells
Lymphatic endothelial cells877 cells
Dendritic cells744 cells
Monocytes/Macrophages699 cells
Natural Killer cells603 cells
Acinar cells451 cells
Langerhans cells365 cells
Plasma cells203 cells
Melanocytes202 cells
Ductal epithelial cells176 cells
Neutrophils171 cells
Mast cells105 cells
Schwann cells70 cells
Myoepithelial cells22 cells
The Immunoregulatory Architecture of the Adult Oral Cavity

7. Major Salivary Gland Atlas

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Acinar cells11211 cells
Ductal epithelial cells1485 cells
CD8 T cells1038 cells
Fibroblasts830 cells
Vascular endothelial cells741 cells
Monocytes/Macrophages676 cells
Neutrophils572 cells
Plasma cells523 cells
Myoepithelial cells381 cells
CD4 T cells357 cells
Keratinocytes274 cells
Ionocytes205 cells
Mural cells172 cells
Dendritic cells163 cells
Natural Killer cells124 cells
B cells20 cells
The Immunoregulatory Architecture of the Adult Oral Cavity

8. Palate Atlas

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Fibroblasts2814 cells
Mural cells1512 cells
Vascular endothelial cells1057 cells
Keratinocytes889 cells
CD4 T cells858 cells
CD8 T cells412 cells
Dendritic cells284 cells
Plasma cells241 cells
Neutrophils209 cells
Monocytes/Macrophages203 cells
Lymphatic endothelial cells190 cells
Schwann cells175 cells
Natural Killer cells154 cells
B cells75 cells
Merkel cells71 cells
Langerhans cells64 cells
Melanocytes29 cells
Mast cells26 cells
The Immunoregulatory Architecture of the Adult Oral Cavity

9. Mucosal Immune Atlas

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CD8 T cells6617 cells
CD4 T cells6151 cells
Innate lymphoid cells2149 cells
Mast cells1982 cells
Dendritic cells1928 cells
Monocytes/Macrophages1878 cells
B cells1516 cells
Neutrophils533 cells
Plasma cells310 cells
The Immunoregulatory Architecture of the Adult Oral Cavity

10. Gland Immune Atlas

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Subject ID
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Reference genome
Gene annotation version
Alignment software
Intron inclusion
Ancestry
Age
Cell type
Assay
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Sex
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Leiden clustering
Plasma cells2892 cells
CD8 T cells1325 cells
Monocytes/Macrophages832 cells
CD4 T cells587 cells
Neutrophils370 cells
Innate lymphoid cells146 cells
Dendritic cells120 cells
B cells90 cells
The Immunoregulatory Architecture of the Adult Oral Cavity

Alias names

Human Oral and Craniofacial Cell Atlas