Bulk RNA-seq of Peripheral Blood Mononuclear Cells from AmaXhosa Children with Atopic Dermatitis and Healthy Controls in Rural and Urban South Africa

This RNA-seq experiment profiles peripheral blood mononuclear cells from AmaXhosa children aged 12–36 months with clinically diagnosed moderate-to-severe atopic dermatitis and matched healthy controls living in rural or urban South African settings. The main goal is to capture systemic immune transcriptional programs associated with early-life atopic dermatitis while accounting for the strong contextual influence of environment. By comparing disease status across rural/urban strata, the dataset is designed to distinguish disease-linked expression patterns from location-associated immune signatures, and to identify gene sets reflecting pathways plausibly involved in atopic inflammation, barrier/immune regulation, and related mechanisms. The resulting transcriptomic signatures are intended for downstream integration with cytokine and antibody measurements and environmental exposure data to support mechanistic interpretation and endotype definition.