Guangzhou Key Laboratory of Maternal-Fetal Medicine, Guangzhou Women and Children's Medical Center, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, People's Republic of China.
Physiol Genomics. 2024 Jan 1;56(1):32-47. doi: 10.1152/physiolgenomics.00067.2023. Epub 2023 Nov 13.
The microenvironment and cell populations within the myometrium play crucial roles in maintaining uterine structural integrity and protecting the fetus during pregnancy. However, the specific changes occurring at the single-cell level in the human myometrium between nonpregnant (NP) and term pregnant (TP) states remain unexplored. In this study, we used single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-Seq) and spatial transcriptomics (ST) to construct a transcriptomic atlas of individual cells in the myometrium of NP and TP women. Integrated analysis of scRNA-Seq and ST data revealed spatially distinct transcriptional characteristics and examined cell-to-cell communication patterns based on ligand-receptor interactions. We identified and categorized 87,845 high-quality individual cells into 12 populations from scRNA-Seq data of 12 human myometrium tissues. Our findings demonstrated alterations in the proportions of five subpopulations of smooth muscle cells in TP. Moreover, an increase in monocytic cells, particularly M2 macrophages, was observed in TP myometrium samples, suggesting their involvement in the anti-inflammatory response. This study provides unprecedented single-cell resolution of the NP and TP myometrium, offering new insights into myometrial remodeling during pregnancy. Using single-cell RNA sequencing and spatial transcriptomics, the myometrium was examined at the single-cell level during pregnancy. We identified spatially distinct cell populations and observed alterations in smooth muscle cells and increased M2 macrophages in term pregnant women. These findings offer unprecedented insights into myometrial remodeling and the anti-inflammatory response during pregnancy. The study advances our understanding of pregnancy-related myometrial changes.
在怀孕期间，子宫肌层的微环境和细胞群体在维持子宫结构完整性和保护胎儿方面发挥着关键作用。然而，非孕期（NP）和足月孕期（TP）女性子宫肌层在单细胞水平上发生的具体变化仍未被探索。在这项研究中，我们使用单细胞 RNA 测序（scRNA-Seq）和空间转录组学（ST）构建了 NP 和 TP 女性子宫肌层单个细胞的转录组图谱。scRNA-Seq 和 ST 数据的综合分析揭示了空间上不同的转录特征，并基于配体-受体相互作用检查了细胞间的通讯模式。我们从 12 个人类子宫肌层组织的 scRNA-Seq 数据中鉴定并分类了 87845 个高质量的单个细胞，将其分为 12 个群体。我们的研究结果表明，TP 子宫平滑肌细胞的五个亚群的比例发生了改变。此外，在 TP 子宫肌层样本中观察到单核细胞（尤其是 M2 巨噬细胞）的增加，表明它们参与了抗炎反应。这项研究提供了 NP 和 TP 子宫肌层前所未有的单细胞分辨率，为怀孕期间子宫肌层重塑提供了新的见解。本研究通过单细胞 RNA 测序和空间转录组学，在怀孕期间对子宫肌层进行了单细胞水平的检查。我们鉴定了空间上不同的细胞群体，并观察到足月孕妇平滑肌细胞的改变和 M2 巨噬细胞的增加。这些发现为怀孕期间子宫肌层重塑和抗炎反应提供了前所未有的见解。该研究推进了我们对与妊娠相关的子宫肌层变化的理解。
