The effect of intrauterine growth restriction on the developing pancreatic immune system

We identified 9 distinct immune populations in the endocrine pancreas and 8 distinct immune populations in the spleen by single cell RNAseq. There were no sex-specific differences in the relative proportion of immune cells in the pancreas or spleen. Finally, using the bilateral uterine artery ligation model, we tested if IUGR disrupted the neonatal immune system.

We found significant changes to the percentage of CD11B+ HIS48- and CD8+ T cells in the islets and non-endocrine pancreas and in the spleen. IUGR-induced alterations were influenced by the tissue environment and the sex of the offspring. Interestingly, it that took longer for immune cells to reach percentages similar to controls in male than female IUGR offspring.

In the female spleen, but not male, IUGR altered the percentage of several immune populations at e22, but the percentage was similar to controls post birth. Future research to define the role of these immune cells in pancreatic development may identify disrupted pathways that contribute to the development of diabetes following IUGR.