Inference and analysis of cell-cell communication of post-sepsis skeletal muscle based on single-cell RNA-seq

Sepsis is a severe inflammatory response syndrome caused by infection, which remains a leading cause of morbidity and mortality in the intensive care unit(ICU) patients. Muscle dysfunction is a crucial feature of sepsis. In this study, we employed single-cell transcriptomics sequencing (scRNA-seq) to analyze cell-cell communications in skeletal muscle, aiming to gain a better understanding of the mechanisms involved in sepsis. The results revealed a significant reduction in both the number and strength of cellular communications in sepsis, along with alterations in several pathways, particularly in dendritic cells (DCs). Notably, three pathways-Tnf-Tnfrsf1a, ltgb2-lcam2, and Cd209a-Ceacam1-were significantly changed in sepsis. Our study offers a novel perspective on the mechanisms of muscle dysregulation and clinical treatment for sepsis.