Department of Urology, The Fifth Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Zhuhai, Guangdong Province 519000, China; Department of Interventional Medicine, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Biomedical Imaging, The Fifth Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Zhuhai, Guangdong Province 519000, China.
Department of Interventional Medicine, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Biomedical Imaging, The Fifth Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Zhuhai, Guangdong Province 519000, China; Department of Ultrasound, The Fifth Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Zhuhai, Guangdong Province 519000, China.
Cell Rep. 2024 Sep 24;43(9):114760. doi: 10.1016/j.celrep.2024.114760. Epub 2024 Sep 18.
The composition and cellular heterogeneity of the corpus cavernosum (CC) microenvironment have been characterized, but the spatial heterogeneity at the molecular level remains unexplored. In this study, we integrate single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) and spatial transcriptome sequencing to comprehensively chart the spatial cellular landscape of the human and rat CC under normal and disease conditions. We observe differences in the proportions of cell subtypes and marker genes between humans and rats. Based on the analysis of the fibroblast (FB) niche, we also find that the enrichment scores of mechanical force signaling vary across different regions and correlate with the spatial distribution of FB subtypes. In vitro, the soft and hard extracellular matrix (ECM) induces the differentiation of FBs into apolipoprotein (APO)+ FBs and cartilage oligomeric matrix protein (COMP)+ FBs, respectively. In summary, our study provides a cross-species and physiopathological transcriptomic atlas of the CC, contributing to a further understanding of the molecular anatomy and regulation of penile erection.
海绵体（CC）的微环境的组成和细胞异质性已经得到了描述，但分子水平的空间异质性仍未被探索。在这项研究中，我们整合了单细胞 RNA 测序（scRNA-seq）和空间转录组测序，全面描绘了正常和疾病状态下人类和大鼠 CC 的空间细胞景观。我们观察到人类和大鼠之间细胞亚型和标记基因的比例存在差异。基于对成纤维细胞（FB）生态位的分析，我们还发现机械力信号的富集分数在不同区域之间存在差异，并且与 FB 亚型的空间分布相关。在体外，软和硬细胞外基质（ECM）分别诱导成纤维细胞分化为载脂蛋白（APO）+成纤维细胞和软骨寡聚基质蛋白（COMP）+成纤维细胞。总之，我们的研究提供了 CC 的跨物种和病理生理学转录组图谱，有助于进一步理解阴茎勃起的分子解剖和调控。
