Tag

Single Cell

All articles tagged with #single cell

science2 months ago•106 min saved

Lung-resident immune cells reveal hidden genetic drivers of autoimmune and lung diseases

A large single-cell eQTL study across 29 lung immune cell subsets from 120 individuals links disease-risk variants to gene expression in tissue-resident immune cells, revealing cell-type–specific regulatory mechanisms for autoimmune diseases and COPD. The researchers identify thousands of eGenes, with hundreds showing colocalization to GWAS signals; COPD heritability is estimated at 15–20% mediated by lung-immune-cell expression, and genes like IRF5, IFITM3, and ZNF683 illustrate how regulatory variants shape immune responses in the lung. Many signals are not detected in blood-based eQTL datasets, highlighting the value of studying tissue-resident cells.

via nature.com|

#copd #eqtl #lung

health-and-wellness2 months ago•18 min saved

Aging is a mosaic: some cells age faster, study reveals

Hebrew University researchers report that aging is not uniform across the body: individual cells age at different rates, identified by a DNA methylation aging signature. This mosaic of aging could enable new approaches to slow aging, improve cancer prevention, and aid early detection of other diseases (including via the Galleri test).

via The Jerusalem Post|

#aging #cancer #dna-methylation

science3 months ago•4 min saved

3D lamprey brain atlas maps ancient vertebrate brain evolution

Chinese researchers have built the first 3D spatial single-cell atlas of the lamprey brain, enabling reconstruction of ancestral vertebrate brain features and revealing conserved gene expression and neurogenesis patterns with mammals; published as a Science cover article on June 19, 2026, the work suggests early vertebrate brains were already well-partitioned and provides a new resource for brain-evolution studies.

via Global Times|

#brain-atlas #lamprey #science

science4 months ago•78 min saved

Single-cell atlas links IBD risk to cell-type specific gene regulation

Researchers built IBDverse, the largest single-cell eQTL atlas for inflammatory bowel disease, mapping cis-eQTL effects across blood and gut tissues in about 400 individuals to link genetic risk to specific cell types. They find cell-type eQTLs are more distal, enhancer-rich, and far more likely to colocalize with IBD GWAS signals than bulk-tissue eQTLs, nominating effector genes such as MAML2 and ZMIZ1 in dendritic cells and MYC and RASGRP1 in colonocytes. Notch pathway regulators in dendritic cells and Wnt-driven epithelial renewal in colonocytes emerge as key mechanisms, tying regulatory variation to barrier dysfunction and inflammation. The study also highlights therapeutic angles—including PRKCB inhibitors and targets like ITGA4/JAK2—and provides a framework for interpreting GWAS loci via cell-type–resolved eQTL mapping in complex diseases.

via Nature|

#eqtl #gwas #ibd

science8 months ago•66 min saved

Single-cell proteomics maps human liver zonation and its fragility in diseased tissue

Researchers used advanced scDVP to profile hundreds of hepatocytes from 18 people, building a high-resolution map of protein gradients along the liver's porto–central axis. They quantified ~2,500 proteins per cell, showed roughly half are zonated, and introduced gradient-based analysis to quantify zonation without binning. Cross-species comparison with mice revealed shared and human-specific zonation features; in tissues with disrupted architecture, zonation is broadly lost. The study delivers an open-access liver proteome resource and a framework applicable to spatial proteomics.

via Nature|

#liver #proteomics #science