Human neonatal CITE-seq atlas identifies an immune transition at 32 weeks' gestation from CD15+ myeloid-dominated to interferon-primed immunity

Abstract

The human neonatal immune system is developmentally specialized to balance the unique requirements of perinatal transition. Disruption of this finely tuned balance, as in preterm birth, may have profound consequences for immunity and overall health. However, the impact of prematurity on immune composition and functional responsiveness across gestational ages (GA) remains incompletely understood. Single-cell profiling has advanced our understanding of neonatal immunity, yet most studies were limited to unimodal readouts, narrow GA windows, or baseline function. Here, we present a comprehensive human neonatal CITE-seq atlas (82 samples from 25 neonates and 10 adults as controls) at the first days of life covering a wide GA range and integrating baseline and stimulated conditions. Most notably, we identify a GA-dependent immune transition point centered around 32 weeks of GA, which discriminates extremely and very preterm neonates (GA View larger version (24K): org.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@1d2ce73org.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@f02194org.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@12cb15eorg.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@130ca51_HPS_FORMAT_FIGEXP M_FIG C_FIG