# To Explore the Key Subgroup and Their Immune Microenvironment During the Formation of Coronary Plaque With scRNA-seq

## TL;DR

This study uses single-cell RNA sequencing to identify key immune cell subgroups involved in coronary plaque formation and their role in heart disease.

## Contribution

The study identifies and analyzes a specific subgroup of NK cells (C1 RACK1+) and their role in coronary plaque development using advanced single-cell techniques.

## Key findings

- C1 RACK1+ NK cells were identified as a crucial subgroup in coronary plaque formation.
- The study explored pseudotime trajectories, cell interactions, and transcription factors specific to C1 RACK1+ NK cells.
- Findings suggest that single-cell RNA sequencing improves understanding of plaque microenvironments and treatment strategies.

## Abstract

Background: The most important pathological basis of coronary heart disease is atheroma formation. If atheromatous plaque occurs and is not treated promptly and effectively, the plaque will gradually grow, causing the lumen of the coronary arteries to gradually narrow until it is completely occluded, causing angina pectoris and even myocardial infarction, but its cellular heterogeneity is not fully understood.

Methods: We utilized various techniques including single-cell RNA sequencing, CytoTRACE, monocle, slingshot, CellChat, and SCENIC to investigate the significant subgroup of NK cells in 15 specimens from individuals in order to understand their contributions to the development of coronary plaque.

Results: The analysis revealed that studying the subgroup C1 RACK1+ NK cells was crucial for this paper. We investigated its effect on coronary plaque and then analyzed C1 RACK1+ NK cells to explore the expression of this subgroup in pseudotime trajectories, cell interactions, and transcription factors.

Conclusion: Single-cell RNA sequencing could provide a deeper understanding of the factors that have an important impact on the development of coronary plaque, improved the understanding of the microenvironment of coronary plaque, provided enlightenment for the treatment of coronary plaque in the future, and helped to improve the diagnosis of coronary plaque and design the best treatment strategy.