A single-cell atlas of porcine hematopoietic development

Domestic pigs are both a globally important agricultural species and an increasingly valuable biomedical model that bridges the gap between rodents and non-human primates. Thus, a thorough understanding of the developing porcine immune system is important to improve pig health and advance preclinical research. Here, we coupled single-cell transcriptomic analyses with T and B cell receptor profiling to create a comprehensive cell atlas of pig hematopoietic development across fetal liver, bone marrow, and thymus tissues from fetal to adult life. We highlight tissue-specific and age-related features; identify gene modules underlying B cell and T cell development; describe the maturation and diversification of B and T cell receptor repertoires in bone marrow B cells and thymic αβ and γδ T cells; and distinguish transcriptionally distinct subsets of γδ T cells according to their γ chain usage. Our data provide key insights into pig immune system development and contribute a valuable resource for advancing pigs as a model of human blood and immune diseases. In this study, the authors coupled single-cell transcriptomics with T and B cell receptor profiling to create a cell atlas of porcine hematopoietic development spanning fetal liver, bone marrow, and thymus across fetal, neonatal, and adult stages.