Single Cell Transcriptomics Identifies a Potential Role for Arg1+ Macrophages in Alopecia Areata Pathogenesis

April 2021 in “ Journal of Investigative Dermatology ”

E.Y. Lee, E.H. Wang, Zhijun Dai, Isha Monga, Angela M. Christiano

alopecia areata Arg1+ macrophages arginine metabolism pro-inflammatory cytokines arginase inhibitor CD45+ immune cells single cell RNA-seq

TLDR Arg1+ macrophages may play a role in causing alopecia areata.

This study investigated the role of immune cells in Alopecia Areata (AA) by performing single cell RNA-seq on CD45+ immune cells from AA-affected and control mice. It identified a unique subset of Arg1+ macrophages predominantly present in AA mice, suggesting their involvement in AA pathogenesis. These macrophages showed upregulation of genes related to arginine metabolism and pro-inflammatory cytokines, indicating an inflammatory phenotype. Validation techniques confirmed an increased presence of Arg1+ macrophages near hair follicles in AA skin. Treatment with an arginase inhibitor delayed disease onset in mice, highlighting potential therapeutic targets in metabolic pathways for AA.

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