{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,5,14]],"date-time":"2026-05-14T09:19:17Z","timestamp":1778750357475,"version":"3.51.4"},"reference-count":43,"publisher":"Frontiers Media SA","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,5,14]],"date-time":"2026-05-14T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1778716800000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["frontiersin.org"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Front. Immunol."],"abstract":"<jats:p>\n                    Halo nevus is an autoimmune skin disorder characterized by autoreactive CD8\n                    <jats:sup>+<\/jats:sup>\n                    T cells that target and destroy melanocytes, resulting in a depigmented perilesional halo. Yet the upstream triggers of this activation remain unclear. Here, we performed single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) on halo nevi and normal nevi, identifying ten canonical skin cell types and five melanocyte subclusters. Integrated scRNA-seq and immunofluorescence staining revealed that halo nevi, unlike normal nevi, exhibit robust infiltration of activated, type II interferon-responsive CD8\n                    <jats:sup>+<\/jats:sup>\n                    T cells. Among melanocyte subclusters, one subset (Cluster 3) showed pronounced upregulation of antigen-presenting molecules, interferon-stimulated genes, and chemokines. Comparative analyses further demonstrated that melanocytes in halo nevi increased oxidative phosphorylation, interferon-driven pathways, and antigen processing and presentation. Together, these data provide single-cell transcriptional atlas of halo nevi versus normal nevi, reveal melanocyte-intrinsic and immune-mediated mechanisms underlying autoimmune melanocyte destruction, and highlight pathogenic pathways shared with vitiligo that may inform the development of targeted therapies.\n                  <\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3389\/fimmu.2026.1771401","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,5,14]],"date-time":"2026-05-14T08:54:16Z","timestamp":1778748856000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3389\/crossmark-policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Single-cell transcriptomic profiling of halo nevi and normal nevi reveals CD8+ T cell activation in melanocytic autoimmunity"],"prefix":"10.3389","volume":"17","author":[{"given":"Wenxuan","family":"Gao","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"College of Life Sciences, Beijing Normal University","place":["Beijing, China"]},{"name":"National Institute of Biological Sciences","place":["Beijing, China"]}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Haozhen","family":"Lv","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Dermatology, National Center for Gerontology; National Clinical Research Center for Gerontology; The Key Laboratory of Geriatrics of NHC; Institute of Geriatric Medicine, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences","place":["Beijing, China"]}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Yuhua","family":"Xie","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"National Institute of Biological Sciences","place":["Beijing, China"]}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Ying","family":"Chang","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"National Institute of Biological Sciences","place":["Beijing, China"]}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Bin","family":"Li","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"National Institute of Biological Sciences","place":["Beijing, China"]}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Jianmin","family":"Chang","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Dermatology, National Center for Gerontology; National Clinical Research Center for Gerontology; The Key Laboratory of Geriatrics of NHC; Institute of Geriatric Medicine, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences","place":["Beijing, China"]}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Kailv","family":"Sun","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Dermatology, National Center for Gerontology; National Clinical Research Center for Gerontology; The Key Laboratory of Geriatrics of NHC; Institute of Geriatric Medicine, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences","place":["Beijing, China"]}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Ting","family":"Chen","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"National Institute of Biological 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