Publication Summary
Researchers Gansau et al. from Mount Sinai School of Medicine, investigate the role of TNF receptors (TNFR1 and TNFR2) in intervertebral disc (IVD) cells from individuals with back pain. Intervertebral disc degeneration (IVDD) progresses to herniation and back pain due to the poor IVD healing capacities. However, factors contributing to inferior IVD repair remain to be elucidated. Here the authors identify distinct roles of TNFα-receptors (TNFRs) in IVD cell responses to back pain conditions as key factors in poor IVD healing responses. It was found that the IVDD tissue of back pain subjects with herniation secreted a complex array of pro-inflammatory cytokines and chemokines, indicating a potential immunological component to the degenerative process. Single-cell RNA-sequencing (scRNA-seq) revealed these cytokines were dominantly expressed by a small macrophage population and surprisingly low expression by native IVD cells. These results point to a TNFR-specific strategy for IVD repair involving TNFR1 inhibition to restore IVD cell metabolism and a more robust repair response.
Sample Clean-Up Using Levitation Technology
When processing limited samples of variable quality, removal of contaminants such as debris and dead/dying cells is critical. Contaminants hinder accurate cell counts, reduce sequencing quality, increase expenditure of resources, and complicate data analysis and interpretation. Prior to running single-cell sequencing, it was found that a portion of their samples required additional cleanup prior to downstream analysis following mechanical and enzymatic dissociation. The authors utilized the LeviCellⓇ system to simultaneously remove debris and dead/dying cells from these samples, while enriching viable cells to improve the sample quality prior to single-cell sequencing.
