IMB Guest Seminar: The ectopic expression of VE-cadherin in Kupffer cells is controlled by a lineage-specific alternative promoter—potential implications for Kupffer cell function by Lars Muhl, Karolinska Institute.

Summary

The advent of single-cell RNA-sequencing techniques has marked a significant turning point in our understanding of non-parenchymal cell types across many organs. It has, for example, revealed a molecular heterogeneity of endothelial cell and macrophage populations in the liver, reflecting cellular function and anatomic localization. I will present our recent work illustrating the useability of single-cell transcriptomic analysis combined with epigenetic data to identify regulatory mechanisms of cell type-specific gene expression. I will further present our recent observation that among macrophages, Kupffer cells specifically express VE-cadherin and discuss its potential relevance for Kupffer cell function.

Lars Muhl, Dr. rer. nat. is a Senior Researcher in Vascular Biology at the Christer Betsholtz Group at the Department of Medicine, Karolinska Institute, Sweden.