Global gene expression analysis of human fibroblasts from whole body. Homo sapiens

Fibroblasts are the principal stromal cells that exist in whole organs and play vital roles in many biological processes. Although the functional diversity of fibroblasts has been estimated, a comprehensive analysis of fibroblasts from the whole body has not been performed and their phenotypical diversity has not been sufficiently explored. The aim of this study was to elucidate the phenotypical diversity of human fibroblasts within the whole body. Global gene expression analysis of 63 human primary fibroblasts from 13 organs elucidated that fibroblasts from the gastrointestinal tract showed a remarkably distinct character compared to that seen in other organs. Furthermore, gastrointestinal fibroblasts were created by topologically diverse subgroups of fibroblasts depending on their organ and histoanatomical site in the gastrointestinal walls. Overall design: Global gene expression analysis was performed on 63 human primary fibroblasts from 13 anatomical organs. Of these, 32 fibroblasts from gastrointestinal organs were obtained from a pair of 2 histoanatomical sites, including the submucosal layer (submucosal fibroblasts: SMFs) and subperitoneal layer (subperitoneal fibroblasts: SPFs). Using hierarchical clustering analysis, identifiable phenotypical subgroups of fibroblasts were elucidated and the phenotypical character of each subgroup was analyzed.

成纤维细胞（Fibroblasts）是分布于全身各器官的主要基质细胞，在诸多生物学过程中发挥关键作用。已有研究对成纤维细胞的功能多样性进行了预估，但目前尚未针对全身来源的成纤维细胞开展系统性分析，其表型多样性也未得到充分探究。本研究旨在阐明全身来源的人成纤维细胞的表型多样性。
对13个器官来源的63株人原代成纤维细胞开展全局基因表达分析后发现，胃肠道来源的成纤维细胞与其他器官来源的成纤维细胞相比，具有显著独特的特征。此外，胃肠道成纤维细胞可根据其所在胃肠道壁的器官位置及组织解剖位点，分为不同拓扑结构的亚群。
实验设计：对13个解剖器官来源的63株人原代成纤维细胞进行全局基因表达分析。其中32株胃肠道来源的成纤维细胞取自黏膜下层与腹膜下层两类组织解剖位点，对应分别为黏膜下层成纤维细胞（submucosal fibroblasts: SMFs）及腹膜下层成纤维细胞（subperitoneal fibroblasts: SPFs）。本研究通过层级聚类分析，明确了可被识别的成纤维细胞表型亚群，并对各亚群的表型特征进行了分析。