Single-cell analysis of human prepuce reveals dynamic changes in gene regulation and cellular communications.

Publisher: BioMed Central Country of Publication: England NLM ID: 100965258 Publication Model: Electronic Cited Medium: Internet ISSN: 1471-2164 (Electronic) Linking ISSN: 14712164 NLM ISO Abbreviation: BMC Genomics Subsets: MEDLINE

Original Publication: London : BioMed Central, [2000-

Endothelial Cells* ; Gene Expression Regulation*; Adult ; Humans ; Cell Communication/genetics ; Gene Regulatory Networks ; Single-Cell Analysis ; Bone Morphogenetic Proteins

Background: The cellular and molecular dynamics of human prepuce are crucial for understanding its biological and physiological functions, as well as the prevention of related genital diseases. However, the cellular compositions and heterogeneity of human prepuce at single-cell resolution are still largely unknown. Here we systematically dissected the prepuce of children and adults based on the single-cell RNA-seq data of 90,770 qualified cells.
Results: We identified 15 prepuce cell subtypes, including fibroblast, smooth muscle cells, T/natural killer cells, macrophages, vascular endothelial cells, and dendritic cells. The proportions of these cell types varied among different individuals as well as between children and adults. Moreover, we detected cell-type-specific gene regulatory networks (GRNs), which could contribute to the unique functions of related cell types. The GRNs were also highly dynamic between the prepuce cells of children and adults. Our cell-cell communication network analysis among different cell types revealed a set of child-specific (e.g., CD96, EPO, IFN-1, and WNT signaling pathways) and adult-specific (e.g., BMP10, NEGR, ncWNT, and NPR1 signaling pathways) signaling pathways. The variations of GRNs and cellular communications could be closely associated with prepuce development in children and prepuce maintenance in adults.
Conclusions: Collectively, we systematically analyzed the cellular variations and molecular changes of the human prepuce at single-cell resolution. Our results gained insights into the heterogeneity of prepuce cells and shed light on the underlying molecular mechanisms of prepuce development and maintenance.
(© 2023. BioMed Central Ltd., part of Springer Nature.)

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22Y11905700 Science and Technology Commission of Shanghai Municipality; 201940293 Shanghai Municipal Health Commission

Keywords: Cellular dynamics; Cell–cell communications; Gene regulation; Human prepuce; Single-cell RNA-seq

0 (BMP10 protein, human)
0 (Bone Morphogenetic Proteins)

Date Created: 20230901 Date Completed: 20230904 Latest Revision: 20231118

20231215

PMC10474653

10.1186/s12864-023-09615-8

37658288