Single-cell RNA sequencing shows the immune cell landscape in the kidneys of patients with idiopathic membranous nephropathy

Idiopathic membranous nephropathy (IMN) is a leading pathological type of the adult primary nephrotic syndrome. Some patients develop end-stage renal disease due to poor response to treatment with steroid and immunosuppressive agents. In order to explore the molecular mechanism of IMN, we collected renal tissue samples from IMN patients and healthy controls and performed analysis by single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq). A total of 11 kidney cell clusters were identified, including multiple myeloid cell clusters, NK/T cell clusters, and B cell clusters. Most kidney parenchymal and immune cells were enriched in the regulation of immune response, inflammation, fibrosis and endoplasmic reticulum stress. The macrophage population in the IMN group showed a highly activated profile with up-regulated genes related to chemotaxis, inflammation, phagocytosis and fibrosis. CD8+ T cells continued to be cytotoxic in IMN; however, a transition to “inflammageing” GZMK+ CD8+ T cells was observed. The proportion of activated B cells in renal tissues of IMN patients was much higher than that of normal controls, indicating that B cells in IMN might be activated by constant antigenic stimulation. Moreover, the cell-cell interaction analysis revealed the potential communication between renal glomerular cells and immune cells in IMN. Overall, scRNA-seq was applied to IMN to unravel the characteristics of immune cells and elucidate possible underlying mechanisms involved in the pathogenesis of IMN.