Project description:The airways conduct gases to and from the gas-exchanging alveoli of the lung and are the site of age-related diseases, such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, asthma, and bronchogenic carcinoma. Here we set out to study the effects of aging on the cellular composition and gene expression of murine airway. We present a comprehensive single-cell RNA-sequencing atlas of tracheas from young (2 month) and aged (24 month) mice, comprising diverse populations of cells, including epithelial, endothelial, immune, fibroblast, and cartilage cells.
Project description:Single-cell mRNA sequencing (mRNA-seq) technologies are reshaping the current cell-type classification system. In previous studies, we built a comprehensive mouse cell atlas to catalog all cell types by collecting scRNA-seq data in the fetal and adult stages. Howerver, systematically study for organism-level dynamic changes of cellular states across mouse life span are still lacking. Here, We made an updated version of mouse cell atlas (MCA) by adding scRNA-seq data covering 14 major mouse organs during different mouse development period. We revealed aging related regulatory networks and pathways that have not been well characterized previously. We found that the expressions of immune-related genes, such as antigen-presenting genes and immunoglobulin genes, appeared in non-immune cell types in aging process. We also focused on the expression of lung epithelial immunoglobulin genes and revealed their related transcriptional regulation mechanisms. The updated MCA resource provides a valuable resource for studying mammalian development, maturation and aging.
Project description:Aging is a multifactorial process with significant functional alterations of the human body including endocrinal systems which control the whole-body physiology and metabolism. In this vein, aging-induced decline of endocrine function are associated with multiple physiological and metabolic diseases. However, aging-associated molecular shifts in the pituitary gland, the central organ of the endocrine system, have not been dissected systemically. In this study, we conducted single-cell transcriptomic analysis of the anterior pituitary gland by comparing old and young male mice. Single-cell transcriptomics not only increased the resolution for clustering of various cell types in the pituitary gland, but also enabled detailed analysis of differential expression and intercellular communication caused by aging. In summary, our study constructed the first single-cell transcriptomic atlas of pituitary aging and identified associated features of in a single-cell level, providing resources to develop novel potential therapeutic targets for aging-associated endocrine dysfunction.
Project description:The Drosophila tracheal system emerges as a favorable model for investigating the program of tubular morphogenesis. It is established in the embryo by post-mitotic cells, which also undergoes remodeling by modulating stem cells. Here we provide an analysis of a comprehensive cell atlas of Drosophila trachea using single-cell RNA-sequencing (scRNA-seq) and reveal cellular diversity and transcriptional profiles of tracheoblasts in Drosophila airway, which encompasses 9 major subtypes. Further evidences reveal transcription factors that are able to switch cell fate. The transcription factors, Peb, Bs, Kni, Sal and Cut are influenced by Notch signaling and determine cell identity. Moreover, Notch signaling that is responsible for the differentiation of tracheoblasts responds to protein glycosylation that is induced upon high sugar diet. Therefore, our study provides a transcriptomic atlas of tracheal development and regeneration, and suggests a glycosylation-responsive Notch signaling in cell fate determination.