Extended Data Fig. 10: Graphic summary of novel insights on the immune microenvironment in eCRSwNP from this study.

The graphic summary illustrates novel insights on different nasal mucosa immune microenvironments between eCRSwNP and healthy controls, and how the type 2 immune response promotes the pathogenesis of nasal polyps in our scRNA-seq study. In eCRSwNP, the hallmarks of pathogenesis included: (1) hyperplasia of basal cells and deficiency of protective cells and molecules, (2) extracellular matrix remodeling dysfunction by fibroblasts, macrophages, vascular endothelial cells, and smooth muscle cells (SMCs), (3) elevated levels of T_H2 cells, ILC2s, IL5RA⁺ plasma cells, and cytotoxic CX3CR1⁺ CD8⁺ T_EFF cells and NK cells, and deficiency of CD8⁺ T_RM cells, (4) defects in the NK-cDC1 immunologic surveillance axis and overactivation of the ALOX15⁺ cDC2-T_H2 axis, and very importantly, (5) enrichment of ALOX15⁺ macrophages with a prominent chemotactic effect as a driver of the type 2 immunity by promoting the infiltration of various inflammatory cells.