Corpora cavernosa fibroblasts mediate penile erection

Penile erection is mediated by the corpora cavernosa, a trabecular-like vascular bed, which enlarges upon vasodilation, but its regulation is not completely understood. Here, we show that perivascular fibroblasts in the corpora cavernosa support vasodilation by reducing norepinephrine availability. We used scRNAseq to investigate fibroblast heterogeneity in the penis. Slc1a3-derived cells were isolated from adult mouse penises using the Slc1a3CreERT;tdTomato line. Cells were sorted based on tdTomato expression in 384 well plates containing lysis buffer and subject to scRNAseq.

阴茎勃起由阴茎海绵体（corpora cavernosa）这一小梁状血管床介导，该结构在血管舒张时发生扩张，但其调控机制尚未完全阐明。本研究发现，阴茎海绵体内的血管周围成纤维细胞可通过降低去甲肾上腺素的可及性，促进血管舒张。为探究阴茎组织中成纤维细胞的异质性，我们采用单细胞RNA测序（scRNAseq）技术：利用Slc1a3CreERT;tdTomato工具小鼠，从成年小鼠阴茎中分离得到Slc1a3阳性来源细胞；基于tdTomato的表达水平，在装载有裂解液的384孔板中对细胞进行分选，随后开展单细胞RNA测序分析。