Abstract 2750: An efficient multiplexing approach to avoid batch effects in single cell RNA- and Ab-seq studies demonstrated in a mouse model of chronic inflammation and obesity

Abstract

Abstract Obesity can weaken the body's immune system and reduce its ability to fight off infections. Current analysis on immune cells from obese mouse models suggests that the immune cells suffer from chronic inflammation. To understand the root cause of this problem, we used single cell sequencing to examine thousands of immune cells isolated from primary and secondary lymphoid organs as well as adipose tissue and compared a diet-induced obesity mouse model with control mice. Cells were stained with 30 BD® AbSeq DNA-barcoded antibodies to enable multiomic analysis, i.e. examining protein alongside mRNA expression in tandem. We also utilized DNA-barcoded universal antibodies from the BD® Single-Cell Multiplexing Kit, which allowed us to combine 8 samples from different mice and tissue types into a single pooled sample, significantly reducing experimental scale and cost while eliminating potential batch effects. The pooled samples were loaded on the BD Rhapsody™ system to perform cell lysis and individual mRNA and cell barcoding, allowing measurement of ~400 immune-related mRNAs and 30 proteins at the single cell level. We were able to efficiently de-multiplex the pooled samples after sequencing. The targeted mRNA and AbSeq panel provided robust clustering of immune cell types and showed that genes related to critical immune responses, including inflammation and lymphocyte activation, are differentially regulated in specific immune-cell subsets in the obese mouse model. Using this multiomic analysis of genes differentially regulated in immune cells from different tissues, we propose a model to explain the immuno-phenotype we observed in obese mouse. For Research Use Only. Not for use in diagnostic or therapeutic procedures. BD, the BD Logo, and Rhapsody are trademarks of Becton, Dickinson and Company or its affiliates. © 2019 BD. All rights reserved. Citation Format: Hye-Won Song, Gisele Baracho, Ian Taylor, Stephanie Widmann, Stefanie Mortimer. An efficient multiplexing approach to avoid batch effects in single cell RNA- and Ab-seq studies demonstrated in a mouse model of chronic inflammation and obesity [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research 2020; 2020 Apr 27-28 and Jun 22-24. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2020;80(16 Suppl):Abstract nr 2750.