When the liver is damaged, such as due to bile buildup, immune cells become activated. In experiments with mice, the Würzburg team observed that certain immune cells undergo functional changes in response to liver damage, becoming highly pro-inflammatory. Researchers used advanced single-cell sequencing and high-resolution spatial analysis to identify direct interactions between two types of immune cells: dendritic cells and a specific subset of rare T cells known as γδ T cells.
These cells communicate with other immune cells, triggering a cascade of signals that amplify inflammation and can ultimately lead to liver fibrosis. Over time, this process leads to a sustained decline in liver function.
Reduces liver inflammation and fibrosis
The identified cell types communicate through direct contact, leading to the release of the pro-inflammatory signaling molecule interleukin-17. This process plays an important role in causing both liver inflammation and fibrosis. “We found that removing specific immune cell populations significantly reduced both inflammation and scarring, suggesting that their interaction is an important factor in disease progression,” explains Stefan Thomann, Ph.D., lead author of the study and a postdoctoral fellow in Dominik Grün’s lab.
Importantly, these mechanisms were confirmed in human tissue samples.
In the long term, we hope that our findings will help pave the way for more targeted treatments that delay the early onset of liver disease. ”
Professor Dominik Grün, Professor of Computational Biology in Spatial Biomedical Systems and Director of the Institute for Systems Immunology at the University of Würzburg
Before these insights can be translated into clinical therapy, the underlying mechanisms need to be investigated in more detail and validated in further human studies. In parallel, the research team is now investigating whether similar processes occur in a variety of liver diseases, including common conditions such as fatty liver disease associated with metabolic dysfunction.
sauce:
Julius Maximilian University of Wurzburg, JMU
Reference magazines:
Thoman, S. others. (2026). The Immunobiliary Single Cell Atlas resolves the crosstalk between conventional type 2 dendritic cells and γδ T cells in cholangitis. nature communications. DOI: 10.1038/s41467-026-71537-2. https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-026-71537-2
