Single-nucleus chromatin accessibility identifies a critical role for TWIST1 in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis myofibroblast activity

Abstract

BackgroundIn idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), myofibroblasts are key effectors of fibrosis and architectural distortion by excessive deposition of extracellular matrix and their acquired contractile capacity. Single-cell RNA-sequencing (scRNA-seq) has precisely defined the IPF myofibroblast transcriptome, but identifying critical transcription factor activity by this approach is imprecise.MethodsWe performed single-nucleus assay for transposase-accessible chromatin sequencing on explanted lungs from patients with IPF (n=3) and donor controls (n=2) and integrated this with a larger scRNA-seq dataset (10 IPF, eight controls) to identify differentially accessible chromatin regions and enriched transcription factor motifs within lung cell populations. We performed RNA-sequencing on pulmonary fibroblasts of bleomycin-injuredTwist1-overexpressing COL1A2 Cre-ER mice to examine alterations in fibrosis-relevant pathways followingTwist1overexpression in collagen-producing cells.ResultsTWIST1, and other E-box transcription factor motifs, were significantly enriched in open chromatin of IPF myofibroblasts compared to both IPF nonmyogenic (log2fold change (FC) 8.909, adjusted p-value 1.82×10−35) and control fibroblasts (log2FC 8.975, adjusted p-value 3.72×10−28).TWIST1expression was selectively upregulated in IPF myofibroblasts (log2FC 3.136, adjusted p-value 1.41×10−24), with two regions ofTWIST1having significantly increased accessibility in IPF myofibroblasts. Overexpression of Twist1 in COL1A2-expressing fibroblasts of bleomycin-injured mice resulted in increased collagen synthesis and upregulation of genes with enriched chromatin accessibility in IPF myofibroblasts.ConclusionsOur studies utilising human multiomic single-cell analyses combined within vivomurine disease models confirm a critical regulatory function for TWIST1 in IPF myofibroblast activity in the fibrotic lung. Understanding the global process of opening TWIST1 and other E-box transcription factor motifs that govern myofibroblast differentiation may identify new therapeutic interventions for fibrotic pulmonary diseases.