Cell‐Type‐Specific HSPA1B Expression Links COPD and Atherosclerosis
Yangxin Zhao, Fangzheng Cao, Houwen Zhang, Yu Liang, You WuABSTRACT
Background
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and atherosclerosis frequently coexist, but their shared immune mechanisms remain incompletely understood.
Methods
We integrated single‐cell RNA‐sequencing datasets from COPD lungs and atherosclerotic lesions to characterize immune‐cell composition, intercellular communication, and overlapping upregulated genes. Cell‐type‐specific sc‐eQTL data from oneK1K were further combined with FinnGen GWAS summary statistics for COPD and coronary atherosclerosis using Mendelian randomization.
Results
Both diseases showed a macrophage/monocyte‐centered immune architecture, with macrophages serving as major communication hubs. Among overlapping genes evaluated genetically, HSPA1B showed consistent associations across both diseases. Genetically predicted HSPA1B expression in classical monocytes was positively associated with COPD and coronary atherosclerosis, whereas expression in non‐classical monocytes showed inverse associations. NK cell‐specific HSPA1B expression was also positively associated with COPD.
Conclusion
COPD and atherosclerosis share myeloid‐centered immune features, and HSPA1B may represent a cell‐state‐dependent immune signal linking pulmonary and vascular inflammation.