Balasubramanian Revathi, Tolman Nicholas, Li Taibo, Hannan Abdul, Bupp-Chickering Violet, Polanco Karina, Bhandari Aakriti, Zhou Sally, Simón Marina, Peregrin John, Montgomery Christa, Kizhatil Krishnakumar, Qian Jiang, John Simon W M
bioRxiv. 2025 Aug 21:2025.08.15.670438. doi: 10.1101/2025.08.15.670438.
Morphogenesis of the anterior segment (AS) is crucial for healthy ocular physiology and vision but is only partially understood. The Schlemm's canal (SC) and trabecular meshwork (TM) are essential drainage tissues within the AS, and their proper development and function are critical for maintaining normal intraocular pressure; abnormalities in either tissue can result in elevated pressure and glaucoma. Here, we use single-cell transcriptomic profiling to provide high-resolution molecular detail of AS development with a particular focus on SC and TM. We report transcriptomes for ∼130,000 single cells at key developmental stages from postnatal day 2 (P2) to P60. We provide the first annotation of cell types across these developmental stages and crucial information about dynamic changes in pathways/gene expression. Further, we trace developmental trajectories for TM cell and SC endothelial cell (SEC) subtypes and determine genes and signaling networks driving their specific cell fates. We demonstrate dynamic changes in signaling interactions between SC and the TM cells during their synchronized development. Collectively, our data lay a deep molecular foundation for AS development that will direct understanding of normal ocular physiology, glaucoma, and other AS conditions.
眼前节(AS)的形态发生对健康的眼生理和视力至关重要,但目前仅得到部分理解。施莱姆管(SC)和小梁网(TM)是眼前节内重要的引流组织,它们的正常发育和功能对于维持正常眼压至关重要;任何一个组织出现异常都可能导致眼压升高和青光眼。在此,我们使用单细胞转录组分析来提供眼前节发育的高分辨率分子细节,特别关注施莱姆管和小梁网。我们报告了从出生后第2天(P2)到P60关键发育阶段约130,000个单细胞的转录组。我们提供了这些发育阶段细胞类型的首次注释以及关于通路/基因表达动态变化的关键信息。此外,我们追踪了小梁网细胞和施莱姆管内皮细胞(SEC)亚型的发育轨迹,并确定了驱动其特定细胞命运的基因和信号网络。我们展示了施莱姆管和小梁网细胞在同步发育过程中信号相互作用的动态变化。总体而言,我们的数据为眼前节发育奠定了深厚的分子基础,这将有助于理解正常眼生理、青光眼及其他眼前节疾病。