Project description:Pulmonary fibrosis (PF) is a chronic, progressive condition that represents the end-stage of many interstitial lung diseases (ILDs). Single-cell transcriptomic studies have revealed disease-emergent epithelial, fibroblast, and macrophage cell types/states in PF lungs, but the spatial contexts wherein these cells contribute to disease pathogenesis has remained uncertain. Using image-based spatial transcriptomics to profile gene expression changes in-situ across 28 lung samples from control and PF lungs, we characterized the expression of 343 genes in over 1 million nuclei at subcellular resolution. Using both cell-based and cell-agnostic approaches, we observed a diversity of distinct molecularly-defined spatial niches in control and PF lungs. Overlaying these computationally-defined niches with disease-associated histopathologic features, we identified novel patterns of dysregulation in alveoli informed by spatial context. We computationally segmented individual air spaces and using cell composition, we ordered airspaces from homeostatic to most dysregulated. Using this ordering we identified a series of stepwise molecular changes associated with progressive distal lung remodeling. Together, these results advance our understanding of the molecular programs underlying progressive PF.
Project description:Large-scale changes in the structure and cellular makeup of the distal lung are a hallmark of pulmonary fibrosis (PF), but the spatial contexts that contribute to disease pathogenesis have remained uncertain. Using image-based spatial transcriptomics, we analyzed the gene expression of 1.6 million cells from 35 unique lungs. Through complementary cell-based and innovative cell-agnostic analyses, we characterized the localization of PF-emergent cell types, established the cellular and molecular basis of classical PF histopathologic features and identified a diversity of distinct molecularly defined spatial niches in control and PF lungs. Using machine learning and trajectory analysis to segment and rank airspaces on a gradient of remodeling severity, we identified compositional and molecular changes associated with progressive distal lung pathology, beginning with alveolar epithelial dysregulation and culminating with changes in macrophage polarization. Together, these results provide a unique, spatially resolved view of PF and establish methods that could be applied to other spatial transcriptomic studies.
Project description:We designed a Nextflow DSL2-based pipeline, Spatial Transcriptomics Quantification (STQ), for simultaneous processing of 10x Genomics Visium spatial transcriptomics data and a matched hematoxylin and eosin (H&E)-stained whole slide image (WSI), optimized for Patient-Derived Xenograft (PDX) cancer specimens. Our pipeline enables the classification of sequenced transcripts for deconvolving the mouse and human species and mapping the transcripts to reference transcriptomes. We align the H&E WSI with the spatial layout of the Visium slide and generate imaging and quantitative morphology features for each Visium spot. The pipeline design enables multiple analysis workflows, including single or dual reference genomes input and stand-alone image analysis. We show the utility of our pipeline on a dataset from Visium profiling of four melanoma PDX samples. The clustering of Visium spots and clustering of H&E imaging features reveal similar patterns arising from the two data modalities.
Project description:Multiple distinct cell types of the human lung and airways have been defined by single cell RNA sequencing (scRNAseq). Here we present a multi-omics spatial lung atlas to define novel cell types which we map back into the macro- and micro-anatomical tissue context to define functional tissue microenvironments. Firstly, we have generated single cell and nuclei RNA sequencing, VDJ-sequencing and Visium Spatial Transcriptomics data sets from 5 different locations of the human lung and airways. Secondly, we define additional cell types/states, as well as spatially map novel and known human airway cell types, such as adult lung chondrocytes, submucosal gland (SMG) duct cells, distinct pericyte and smooth muscle subtypes, immune-recruiting fibroblasts, peribronchial and perichondrial fibroblasts, peripheral nerve associated fibroblasts and Schwann cells. Finally, we define a survival niche for IgA-secreting plasma cells at the SMG, comprising the newly defined epithelial SMG-Duct cells, and B and T lineage immune cells. Using our transcriptomic data for cell-cell interaction analysis, we propose a signalling circuit that establishes and supports this niche. Overall, we provide a transcriptional and spatial lung atlas with multiple novel cell types that allows for the study of specific tissue microenvironments such as the newly defined gland-associated lymphoid niche (GALN).
Project description:The human lung is structurally complex, with a diversity of specialized epithelial, stromal and immune cells playing specific functional roles in anatomically distinct locations, and large-scale changes in the structure and cellular makeup of this distal lung is a hallmark of pulmonary fibrosis (PF) and other progressive chronic lung diseases. Single-cell transcriptomic studies have revealed numerous disease-emergent/enriched cell types/states in PF lungs, but the spatial contexts wherein these cells contribute to disease pathogenesis has remained uncertain. Using sub-cellular resolution image-based spatial transcriptomics, we analyzed the gene expression of more than 1 million cells from 19 unique lungs. Through complementary cell-based and innovative cell-agnostic analyses, we characterized the localization of PF-emergent cell-types, established the cellular and molecular basis of classical PF histopathologic disease features, and identified a diversity of distinct molecularly-defined spatial niches in control and PF lungs. Using machine-learning and trajectory analysis methods to segment and rank airspaces on a gradient from normal to most severely remodeled, we identified a sequence of compositional and molecular changes that associate with progressive distal lung pathology, beginning with alveolar epithelial dysregulation and culminating with changes in macrophage polarization. Together, these results provide a unique, spatially-resolved characterization of the cellular and molecular programs of PF and control lungs, provide new insights into the heterogeneous pathobiology of PF, and establish analytical approaches which should be broadly applicable to other imaging-based spatial transcriptomic studies.
Project description:The niche environment surrounding intestinal stem cells (ISCs) varies along the length of intestine and provides key cues that regulate stem cell fate. Here, we investigated the role of cellular redox balance in colonic ISC function. We show that hypoxia and Wnt signaling synergize to restrict the reactive oxygen species (ROS) generating enzyme NADPH oxidase 1 (NOX1) to the crypt base in the distal colon. NOX1 function maintains a more oxidative cell state that licenses cell cycle entry, altering the balance of asymmetric stem cell self-renewal and directing lineage commitment. Mechanistically, cell redox state directs a self-reinforcing circuit that connects hypoxia inducible factor 1 (HIF1a)-dependent signaling with regulation of the metabolic enzyme isocitrate dehydrogenase 1 (IDH1). Our studies show that cellular redox balance is a central and niche-dependent regulator of epithelial homeostasis and regeneration and provide a basis for understanding disease propensity in the distal large intestine.
Project description:The niche environment surrounding intestinal stem cells (ISCs) varies along the length of intestine and provides key cues that regulate stem cell fate. Here, we investigated the role of cellular redox balance in colonic ISC function. We show that hypoxia and Wnt signaling synergize to restrict the reactive oxygen species (ROS) generating enzyme NADPH oxidase 1 (NOX1) to the crypt base in the distal colon. NOX1 function maintains a more oxidative cell state that licenses cell cycle entry, altering the balance of asymmetric stem cell self-renewal and directing lineage commitment. Mechanistically, cell redox state directs a self-reinforcing circuit that connects hypoxia inducible factor 1 (HIF1a)-dependent signaling with regulation of the metabolic enzyme isocitrate dehydrogenase 1 (IDH1). Our studies show that cellular redox balance is a central and niche-dependent regulator of epithelial homeostasis and regeneration and provide a basis for understanding disease propensity in the distal large intestine.