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Fu F, Yang X, Li R, Li Y, Zhou H, Cheng K, Huang R, Wang Y, Guo F, Zhang L, Pan M, Han J, Zhen L, Li L, Lei T, Li D, Liao C. Single-cell RNA sequencing reveals cellular and molecular landscape of fetal cystic hygroma. BMC Med Genomics 2024; 17:96. [PMID: 38650036 PMCID: PMC11036587 DOI: 10.1186/s12920-024-01859-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/27/2023] [Accepted: 03/29/2024] [Indexed: 04/25/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The molecular mechanism of fetal cystic hygroma (CH) is still unclear, and no study has previously reported the transcriptome changes of single cells in CH. In this study, single-cell transcriptome sequencing (scRNA-seq) was used to investigate the characteristics of cell subsets in the lesion tissues of CH patients. METHODS Lymphoid tissue collected from CH patients and control donors for scRNA-seq analysis. Differentially expressed gene enrichment in major cell subpopulations as well as cell-cell communication were analyzed. At the same time, the expression and interactions of important VEGF signaling pathway molecules were analyzed, and potential transcription factors that could bind to KDR (VEGFR2) were predicted. RESULTS The results of scRNA-seq showed that fibroblasts accounted for the largest proportion in the lymphatic lesions of CH patients. There was a significant increase in the proportion of lymphatic endothelial cell subsets between the cases and controls. The VEGF signaling pathway is enriched in lymphatic endothelial cells and participates in the regulation of cell-cell communication between lymphatic endothelial cells and other cells. The key regulatory gene KDR in the VEGF signaling pathway is highly expressed in CH patients and interacts with other differentially expressed EDN1, TAGLN, and CLDN5 Finally, we found that STAT1 could bind to the KDR promoter region, which may play an important role in promoting KDR up-regulation. CONCLUSION Our comprehensive delineation of the cellular composition in tumor tissues of CH patients using single-cell RNA-sequencing identified the enrichment of lymphatic endothelial cells in CH and highlighted the activation of the VEGF signaling pathway in lymphoid endothelial cells as a potential modulator. The molecular and cellular pathogenesis of fetal cystic hygroma (CH) remains largely unknown. This study examined the distribution and gene expression signature of each cell subpopulation and the possible role of VEGF signaling in lymphatic endothelial cells in regulating the progression of CH by single-cell transcriptome sequencing. The enrichment of lymphatic endothelial cells in CH and the activation of the VEGF signaling pathway in lymphatic endothelial cells provide some clues to the pathogenesis of CH from the perspective of cell subpopulations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fang Fu
- Department of Prenatal Diagnostic Centre, Guangzhou Women and Children's Medical Centre, Guangzhou Medical University, 510623, Guangzhou, China
| | - Xin Yang
- Department of Prenatal Diagnostic Centre, Guangzhou Women and Children's Medical Centre, Guangzhou Medical University, 510623, Guangzhou, China
| | - Ru Li
- Department of Prenatal Diagnostic Centre, Guangzhou Women and Children's Medical Centre, Guangzhou Medical University, 510623, Guangzhou, China
| | - Yingsi Li
- Department of Prenatal Diagnostic Centre, Guangzhou Women and Children's Medical Centre, Guangzhou Medical University, 510623, Guangzhou, China
| | - Hang Zhou
- Department of Prenatal Diagnostic Centre, Guangzhou Women and Children's Medical Centre, Guangzhou Medical University, 510623, Guangzhou, China
| | - Ken Cheng
- Department of Prenatal Diagnostic Centre, Guangzhou Women and Children's Medical Centre, Guangzhou Medical University, 510623, Guangzhou, China
| | - Ruibin Huang
- Department of Prenatal Diagnostic Centre, Guangzhou Women and Children's Medical Centre, Guangzhou Medical University, 510623, Guangzhou, China
| | - You Wang
- Department of Prenatal Diagnostic Centre, Guangzhou Women and Children's Medical Centre, Guangzhou Medical University, 510623, Guangzhou, China
| | - Fei Guo
- Department of Prenatal Diagnostic Centre, Guangzhou Women and Children's Medical Centre, Guangzhou Medical University, 510623, Guangzhou, China
| | - Lina Zhang
- Department of Prenatal Diagnostic Centre, Guangzhou Women and Children's Medical Centre, Guangzhou Medical University, 510623, Guangzhou, China
| | - Min Pan
- Department of Prenatal Diagnostic Centre, Guangzhou Women and Children's Medical Centre, Guangzhou Medical University, 510623, Guangzhou, China
| | - Jin Han
- Department of Prenatal Diagnostic Centre, Guangzhou Women and Children's Medical Centre, Guangzhou Medical University, 510623, Guangzhou, China
| | - Li Zhen
- Department of Prenatal Diagnostic Centre, Guangzhou Women and Children's Medical Centre, Guangzhou Medical University, 510623, Guangzhou, China
| | - Lushan Li
- Department of Prenatal Diagnostic Centre, Guangzhou Women and Children's Medical Centre, Guangzhou Medical University, 510623, Guangzhou, China
| | - Tingying Lei
- Department of Prenatal Diagnostic Centre, Guangzhou Women and Children's Medical Centre, Guangzhou Medical University, 510623, Guangzhou, China
| | - Dongzhi Li
- Department of Prenatal Diagnostic Centre, Guangzhou Women and Children's Medical Centre, Guangzhou Medical University, 510623, Guangzhou, China
| | - Can Liao
- Department of Prenatal Diagnostic Centre, Guangzhou Women and Children's Medical Centre, Guangzhou Medical University, 510623, Guangzhou, China.
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