Single-cell connectomic analysis of adult mammalian lungs

Single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNAseq) has made it possible to analyze complex organs such as the lung with unprecedented resolution. We have leveraged these techniques to identify conserved patterns of cell-cell cross-talk in adult mammalian lungs, analyzing mouse, rat, pig and human pulmonary tissues. Following clustering and histological registration, we mapped putative ligand-receptor interactions within and between cell types and assessed the significance of these interactions. Our findings demonstrate specific, stereotyped functional roles for each cell type in the distal lung which emerge as top candidates for the regulation of tissue phenotype.单细胞RNA测序（Single-cell RNA sequencing，scRNAseq）技术使得研究者能够以前所未有的分辨率对肺部等复杂器官开展分析。本研究依托该技术，在小鼠、大鼠、猪以及人类的肺组织中，鉴定了成年哺乳动物肺部中保守的细胞间通讯模式。在完成细胞聚类分析与组织学配准后，我们对细胞类型内部及不同细胞类型之间的推定配体-受体相互作用进行了定位，并评估了这些相互作用的统计学显著性。本研究结果表明，远端肺部的各类细胞类型均具备特定且定型的功能角色，这些角色是调控组织表型的核心候选靶点。