Dataset Information

CXCL12 defines lung endothelial heterogeneity and promotes distal vascular growth

ABSTRACT: In adults, there is a growing amount of data uncovering the cellular diversity of the pulmonary circulation and mechanisms governing vascular repair after injury, however, molecular and cellular mechanisms contributing to the morphogenesis and growth of the pulmonary vasculature during embryonic development are less clear. Importantly, deficits in vascular development lead to a large number of lung diseases in children, indicating a need to uncover fetal programs that promote pulmonary vascular growth. To address this, we used a transgenic mouse reporter for expression of Cxcl12, an arterial hallmark gene, and performed single-cell RNA sequencing on isolated Cxcl12-DsRed+ endothelium to assess cellular heterogeneity within pulmonary endothelium. Combining cell annotation, gene ontology analysis, and spatial transcriptomics allowed us to segregate the developing artery into spatially and functionally distinct subpopulations. In addition, expression of Cxcl12 suggests a morphogen gradient from arteries to capillaries, suggesting directed cell migration for pulmonary vascular development. Disruption of this gradient led to abnormal branching and pulmonary vascular hypoplasia. These data provide evidence for arterial endothelial functional heterogeneity and reveal conserved signaling mechanisms essential for pulmonary vascular development.

ORGANISM(S): Mus musculus

PROVIDER: GSE202132 | GEO | 2022/10/17

REPOSITORIES: GEO

ACCESS DATA

Dataset's files

Source:

			Action	DRS
		Other

Items per page:

1 - 1 of 1

Similar Datasets

Project description:Dysfunction of pulmonary arterial endothelial cells (PAECs) is associated with the development and progression of vascular pathology. However, it remains unknown how pulmonary hypertension (PH) affects cellular composition and transcriptomic profile of pulmonary endothelium. Here, we have undertaken a single-cell, compartment specific approach to characterise alterations in PAECs associated with two different types of PH, i.e., pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) and pulmonary hypertension associated with pulmonary fibrosis (PHPF). Our unbiased analysis showed that endothelium of medium / small caliber pulmonary arteries is composed of three subsets of endothelial cells (ECs). The analysis of healthy and PH endothelium revealed that the three populations are persistently represented in remodelled arteries. Additionally, an exploratory analysis of human aorta (AO) and coronary arteries (CA) endothelium revealed that, although similar gene expression patterns were noticeable, PAECs subpopulations proportions differs significantly from pulmonary arteries (PA) endothelium. To address whether EC heterogeneity is a prime feature of human endothelium, we also performed a similar analysis in a murine model of hypoxia, revealing that similar EC populations were evident in this animal model. Comparative analysis of EC subpopulations in healthy and PH EC identified a common genetic deregulation accompanying vascular remodelling. Even though murine EC displayed some similarities with human EC subpopulations, the intense re-programming associated with hypoxia associated vascular remodelling displayed significant differences compared to the human disease. Finally, in depth comparative analysis of PAH and PHPF EC highlighted the development of disease-specific transcriptomic alterations in the three populations. Therefore, characterisation of transcriptomic differences in the endothelial bed of PAH and PHPF patients can facilitate identification of novel, disease-specific therapeutic targets.

Dataset Information

CXCL12 defines lung endothelial heterogeneity and promotes distal vascular growth

Dataset's files

Similar Datasets

OmicsDI is part of the ELIXIR infrastructure

Tweets