从单细胞角度解析人类和小鼠口腔黏膜的组织特异性细胞特性
Delineating Tissue-Specific Cell Identity of Oral Mucosa in Humans and Mice From a Single-Cell Perspective.
作者信息
Luo Huanyu, Yu Xiaoyi, Sun Hongchen, An Zhengwen
机构信息
Department of Oral Biology, School and Hospital of Stomatology, Jilin University, Changchun, China.
Key Laboratory of Tooth Development and Bone Remodeling of Jilin Province, School and Hospital of Stomatology, Jilin University, Changchun, China.
出版信息
J Cell Mol Med. 2025 Aug;29(15):e70768. doi: 10.1111/jcmm.70768.
The oral mucosa exhibits superior healing and minimal scarring. Although mouse models are widely used to study wound healing and various diseases, their translational relevance remains unclear. Here, we performed a comparative single-cell transcriptomic analysis of human and mouse oral mucosa to identify both shared and species-specific mechanisms. A total of 34,969 cells from human and mouse datasets were integrated using Harmony for batch effect correction, allowing us to establish a unified oral mucosa transcriptome atlas. Fibroblasts emerged as the prominent cell population in both species, displaying conserved gene expression profiles and cell communication networks, underscoring their central role in tissue homeostasis. Key pathways involved in extracellular matrix remodelling and wound healing were highly conserved, supporting the utility of mouse models for studying fibroblast-mediated tissue regeneration. These findings suggest that mouse models can effectively replicate human fibroblast biology, offering valuable insights for developing translational therapies that target fibroblast activity and regulatory gene networks to enhance wound healing and tissue regeneration. Additionally, we identified species-specific cell populations, including human-specific capillary endothelial cells and melanocytes, as well as mouse-specific salivary gland epithelial cells. Their distinct cellular composition and functional differences suggest that these subpopulations may not be directly translatable from mouse models to human contexts. Overall, our study highlights the evolutionary conservation of fibroblasts while identifying species-specific differences that warrant consideration in translational research. These findings provide a valuable resource for researchers using mouse models to study oral mucosa-related diseases, facilitating the translation of preclinical discoveries into clinical applications.
口腔黏膜具有卓越的愈合能力且瘢痕形成极少。尽管小鼠模型被广泛用于研究伤口愈合和各种疾病,但其与临床转化的相关性仍不明确。在此,我们对人和小鼠的口腔黏膜进行了比较单细胞转录组分析,以确定共同的和物种特异性的机制。使用Harmony对来自人和小鼠数据集的总共34969个细胞进行整合,以校正批次效应,从而使我们能够建立一个统一的口腔黏膜转录组图谱。成纤维细胞在两个物种中均成为主要细胞群体,显示出保守的基因表达谱和细胞通讯网络,突显了它们在组织稳态中的核心作用。参与细胞外基质重塑和伤口愈合的关键途径高度保守,这支持了小鼠模型在研究成纤维细胞介导的组织再生方面的实用性。这些发现表明,小鼠模型可以有效地复制人类成纤维细胞生物学特性,为开发针对成纤维细胞活性和调控基因网络以促进伤口愈合和组织再生的转化疗法提供有价值的见解。此外,我们鉴定出了物种特异性的细胞群体,包括人类特有的毛细血管内皮细胞和黑素细胞,以及小鼠特有的唾液腺上皮细胞。它们独特的细胞组成和功能差异表明,这些亚群可能无法直接从小鼠模型转化到人类情况。总体而言,我们的研究突出了成纤维细胞的进化保守性,同时确定了在转化研究中需要考虑的物种特异性差异。这些发现为使用小鼠模型研究口腔黏膜相关疾病的研究人员提供了宝贵的资源,有助于将临床前发现转化为临床应用。