Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: ABSTRACT The mature mammalian lung contains ∼50 different cell types that are located in precise positions along and around the airway epithelial tree. Here, we apply spatial transcriptomics to early embryonic mouse lungs to investigate how these spatial patterns are progressively established during development. Specifically, we optimized a microfluidics‐enabled, deterministic barcoding‐based sequencing (DBiT‐seq) workflow to achieve sensitive spatial mapping of tissue sections, resulting in up to a twofold increase in average transcript recovery compared with previous implementations. Spatial mapping of epithelial populations revealed that Sox9 + epithelial progenitors are located throughout the epithelial tree at early stages before becoming confined to the distal ends. Moreover, we describe a previously unrecognized mesenchymal cluster that exhibits consistent spatial position, expresses high levels of extracellular matrix proteins, and appears to promote embryonic lung innervation. These findings provide new insights into the spatial organization and cellular dynamics underlying early lung development, and demonstrate the power of spatial transcriptomics to uncover hidden patterns and populations of cells.
Source: Advanced Science
DOI: 10.1002/advs.77678
Institution: Princeton University
Language: English
Subfield: Molecular Biology
Domain: Life Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $6,730
Funders: National Science Foundation, American Heart Association, Princeton University, Canadian Federation of University Women, National Institutes of Health, Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development
Awards: G1695464230, Mechanical Forces and the Regulation of Airway Progenitor Cells, RECODE: Using light and mechanics to monitor and control the differentiation of lung alveolar organoids, Building a Systematic, Comprehensive Mammalian Cell Fate Map, G9000054021, G9000078355, G9000352981, G9000381752, Mechanical Clocks During Fetal Development, Uncovering the mesenchyme-specific roles of planar cell polarity in lung development, Interplay between mechanical forces and retinoic acid in lung development
OpenAlex ID: W7214528710