Cameron R Jackson, Máté Borsos, Nathan Appling, Carrie R Jackson, Gerard M Coughlin, Viviana Gradinaru
{"title":"Defining a Midgestational Window for <i>In Utero</i> Genome Editing of the Fetal Murine Cortex.","authors":"Cameron R Jackson, Máté Borsos, Nathan Appling, Carrie R Jackson, Gerard M Coughlin, Viviana Gradinaru","doi":"10.64898/2026.04.28.721509","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.64898/2026.04.28.721509","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Congenital disorders of cortical development arise from genetic lesions that disrupt neurogenesis and neuronal migration. Unfortunately, tools to model or correct these defects before birth are limited. Here we establish a platform for systemic <i>in utero</i> gene delivery and genome editing in the mouse cortex at midgestation. By microdissecting a uterine window over the vitelline vein at embryonic day 12.5 (E12.5), we achieve fetal circulation access, enabling robust AAV-mediated transduction of the central nervous system (CNS) while reducing off-target expression in peripheral organs. Barcoded capsid screens reveal that AAV9 exhibits developmental stage-dependent tropism, with higher CNS penetrance and lower liver transduction at E12.5 than at E15.5. Leveraging this window, we provide a proof-of-concept of efficient cortical editing, using Cre-lox and CRISPR/Cas9 strategies to recapitulate prenatal reeler-like cortical misordering phenotypes following <i>Reln</i> knockout. We further use homology-directed repair to demonstrate precise genome modification, epitope-tagging the endogenous <i>Reln</i> and <i>Actb</i> loci, and installing a human-derived pathogenic allele of <i>PDHA1</i> . Importantly, we show that edited cells span neural progenitors and differentiated neurons across the cortex and hippocampus. These results define a permissive midgestational window for prenatal genome editing, providing a platform for functional modeling of congenital CNS disorders and exploration of early therapeutic interventions with minimized peripheral exposure.</p>","PeriodicalId":519960,"journal":{"name":"bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2026-05-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13142468/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147848692","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Sergii Domanskyi, Jill C Rubinstein, Todd B Sheridan, Adam Thiesen, Javad Noorbakhsh, Juliana Alcoforado Diniz, Ramalakshmi Ramasamy, Dylan S Baker, Riley Sheldon, Qian Wu, George Kuchel, Paul Robson, Jeffrey H Chuang
{"title":"DIANNE: Segmentation-Free Localization of Histology Differential Attributes.","authors":"Sergii Domanskyi, Jill C Rubinstein, Todd B Sheridan, Adam Thiesen, Javad Noorbakhsh, Juliana Alcoforado Diniz, Ramalakshmi Ramasamy, Dylan S Baker, Riley Sheldon, Qian Wu, George Kuchel, Paul Robson, Jeffrey H Chuang","doi":"10.64898/2026.04.28.721103","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.64898/2026.04.28.721103","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Pathologist-guided distinctions within histology and spatial omic images provide insights into health and disease, with digital pathology leveraging artificial intelligence to automate such assessments. To train computational models, current digital pathology methods rely on upfront manual annotations, which are time-consuming to generate. Pre-annotation is poorly suited to investigating novel spatial behaviors - a major need driven by advances in spatial profiling - for which annotation criteria and data needs will be uncertain. To address these challenges, we present DIANNE, a digital pathology approach for rapid training and inference of spatial differential attributes based on train-time Positive Class Mixup Augmentation. DIANNE can compute foundation model-derived segmentation-free localization of differential classifiers across whole slide H&E images within seconds on a workstation, enabling interactive investigation of spatial niches. Predictive models can be re-trained in real-time in response to patch or regional annotation changes, clarifying determinative biological attributes across slides from only a few dozen annotated patches. We demonstrate the effectiveness of DIANNE for tumor detection, artifact identification, and exploration of pancreatic, fetal membranes and kidney tissue structures. DIANNE also provides analogous capabilities for IHC, multiplex immunofluorescence, and registered spatial transcriptomic+H&E images. DIANNE is implemented in a Jupyter toolkit, enabling rapid development of high-resolution classifiers from weakly-supervised training. DIANNE provides a practical system to quantitatively understand known and novel spatial phenotypes.</p>","PeriodicalId":519960,"journal":{"name":"bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2026-05-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13142511/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147848725","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Xuekai Xiong, Jemima Pangemanan, Tali Kiperman, Zuoming Sun, Antonio Paul, Vijay Yechoor, Ke Ma
{"title":"Quercetin and Fisetin activate circadian clock via RORα and inhibit adipocyte growth.","authors":"Xuekai Xiong, Jemima Pangemanan, Tali Kiperman, Zuoming Sun, Antonio Paul, Vijay Yechoor, Ke Ma","doi":"10.64898/2026.04.28.721484","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.64898/2026.04.28.721484","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The circadian clock maintains temporal control of metabolic processes and exerts a key role in adipocyte development. Discovery of clock-modulatory compounds may provide new avenues for metabolic disease therapy. Here we report the identification of flavonoid compounds, Quercetin and Fisetin, as clock-activating molecules with direct inhibitory action on adipogenesis and adipocyte lipid metabolism. Quercetin and Fisetin displayed robust RORα agonism that promoted clock oscillation with induction of clock genes. Treating preadipocytes with these compounds blocked their adipogenic differentiation. In mature adipocytes, Quercetin and Fisetin suppressed lipid accumulation by inhibiting lipogenic enzymes. Furthermore, activation of RORα by a synthetic agonist or ectopic expression were sufficient to inhibit adipogenesis. In mice treated with Quercetin or Fisetin, RORα was markedly induced in adipose depots with strong suppression of the adipogenic and lipogenic programs. While quercetin significantly attenuated lipid storage in adipose tissue in vivo accompanied with lowering of free fatty acids and improved insulin sensitivity, fisetin displayed a less robust effect with differential regulation of lipolytic pathway. Collectively, these findings uncovered the clock-activating properties of quercetin and fisetin that prevent adipocyte maturation and hypertrophy to limit adipose tissue expansion. These actions contribute, at least in part, to their beneficial effects on metabolic disorders.</p>","PeriodicalId":519960,"journal":{"name":"bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2026-05-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13142364/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147848827","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Taylor Pio, Meghna Bettaiah, Ruizi Zhao, Supriya S Wariyar, Sabra Mouhi, Emily J Hill, Steven A Sloan, Jimena Andersen
{"title":"Human spinal cord organoids recapitulate developmental and disease-associated oligodendrocyte lineage signatures.","authors":"Taylor Pio, Meghna Bettaiah, Ruizi Zhao, Supriya S Wariyar, Sabra Mouhi, Emily J Hill, Steven A Sloan, Jimena Andersen","doi":"10.64898/2026.04.28.721458","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.64898/2026.04.28.721458","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Oligodendrocytes play essential roles in central nervous system development and homeostasis, and their dysfunction is a hallmark of numerous neurological disorders. However, human in vitro systems that support oligodendrocyte lineage progression while enabling the study of disease-relevant states remain limited. Here, we establish human spinal cord organoids (hSpO) and cortico-motor assembloids as platforms to model oligodendrocyte development, neuron-glia interactions, and cytokine-induced dysfunction. We show that hSpO generate oligodendrocyte lineage populations that transcriptionally resemble those found in the developing human spinal cord, and oligodendrocyte progenitor cells that exhibit physiologically-relevant functional properties, including migration and monosynaptic input from neurons. Exposure of assembloids to pro-inflammatory cytokines induces transcriptional changes across the oligodendrocyte lineage, characterized by altered lineage progression and acquisition of disease-associated gene expression programs that mirror signatures observed in multiple sclerosis patient tissue. Together, this work establishes hSpO and assembloids as in vitro systems for studying oligodendrocyte lineage development and disease-associated states in a human multi-cellular context.</p>","PeriodicalId":519960,"journal":{"name":"bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2026-05-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13142449/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147848587","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Maanasa Kaza, Benjamin Varco-Merth, G W McElfresh, Sebastian Benjamin, Gregory J Boggy, Morgan Chaunzwa, Shana Feltham, Sohita Ojha, Karina Belica, Andrea N Selseth, Michael Nekorchuk, Kathleen Busman-Sahay, Brandon F Keele, Dan H Barouch, Jeffrey D Lifson, Jacob D Estes, Scott G Hansen, Afam Okoye, Louis J Picker, Benjamin N Bimber
{"title":"Distinct phases of immune system programming during ART-suppressed immunodeficiency virus infection.","authors":"Maanasa Kaza, Benjamin Varco-Merth, G W McElfresh, Sebastian Benjamin, Gregory J Boggy, Morgan Chaunzwa, Shana Feltham, Sohita Ojha, Karina Belica, Andrea N Selseth, Michael Nekorchuk, Kathleen Busman-Sahay, Brandon F Keele, Dan H Barouch, Jeffrey D Lifson, Jacob D Estes, Scott G Hansen, Afam Okoye, Louis J Picker, Benjamin N Bimber","doi":"10.64898/2026.04.29.721702","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.64898/2026.04.29.721702","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>People living with HIV (PLWH) on suppressive antiretroviral therapy (ART) can face non-AIDS complications, partially driven by chronic immune activation. To define immune perturbations during ART-suppressed viral infection, we performed longitudinal single-cell transcriptomic and plasma proteomic analysis of rhesus macaques infected with SIVmac239M and ART-treated for 70 weeks. We identified broad, bi-phasic immune changes. Acute infection involves an interferon-driven signature, correlated with viral replication, that largely resolves with viral control. Cell-associated virus correlated with interferon-stimulated genes in most tissues; however, this was blunted in gut-associated lymph nodes, a feature that may contribute to reservoir persistence. Separate alterations manifest 54-66 weeks-post-infection, after 40 weeks of viral suppression, including broad TGF-β and NF-κB signaling and discrete bursts of inflammatory monocytes, largely restricted to bone marrow. These data highlight the biphasic remodeling of long-term ART-suppressed HIV, identifying specific tissues and cell populations with dysregulation, with implications for the treatment of PLWH.</p>","PeriodicalId":519960,"journal":{"name":"bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2026-05-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13142545/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147848687","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Trenton A Woodham, Maxfield M G Kelsey, John M Sedivy
{"title":"Characterization of Cellular Senescence in Primary Human Astrocytes.","authors":"Trenton A Woodham, Maxfield M G Kelsey, John M Sedivy","doi":"10.64898/2026.04.29.721581","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.64898/2026.04.29.721581","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Senescent astrocytes have been identified in the brains of patients with neurodegenerative disorders, including Alzheimer's disease, yet the molecular characteristics of replicative senescence in human astrocytes remain largely unexplored. Prior work has been hampered by the low proliferative capacity and limited telomere shortening of primary human astrocytes in culture. Here, we describe a culture system in which primary human astrocytes propagated under physiological (3%) oxygen reach canonical telomeric replicative senescence after extensive expansion (up to ~76 population doublings). Senescence was confirmed through multiple biomarkers, including reduced EdU incorporation, elevated senescence-associated beta-galactosidase (SA-β-gal) activity, persistent DNA damage foci (γH2AX and 53BP1) predominantly localized to telomeres, and nuclear accumulation of p53. RNA sequencing across a 12-week time course revealed early upregulation of young LINE-1 (L1HS) retrotransposon transcripts, type-I interferon (IFN-I) and senescence-associated secretory phenotype (SASP) pathway genes, alongside downregulation of cell-cycle and DNA repair programs. To resolve L1HS expression at individual locus resolution, we performed Nanopore DNA sequencing to generate a custom reference genome incorporating non-reference LINE-1 insertions. Applying our TE-Seq pipeline, we identified two full-length intergenic L1HS elements consistently upregulated across the replicative senescence time course, one of which, L1HS_9q22.32_2, retained intact ORF1 and ORF2 open reading frames, indicating potential retrotransposition competence. To contextualize the astrocyte replicative senescence program, we compared it to three additional conditions. First, parallel astrocyte cultures maintained under normoxic (20%) oxygen entered senescence earlier and showed stronger SASP upregulation. Second, DNA damage-induced senescence (DDIS) triggered by etoposide treatment produced a stronger pro-inflammatory transcriptional signature than replicative senescence, including elevated IL6, IL1A, and IL1B expression. DDIS also upregulated L1HS_9q22.32_2 as well as a second intact element, L1HS_14q23.2_3, which we have previously identified among the small number of intact L1HS loci activated during replicative senescence in fibroblasts. The convergent activation of these intact elements across cell types and senescence modalities reinforces L1HS-driven IFN-I signaling as a conserved feature of the senescent program. Third, comparison with replicatively senescent fibroblasts revealed cell-type-specific SASP regulation: the pro-inflammatory cytokines IL6 and CCL2 were downregulated in senescent astrocytes relative to proliferating cells, opposite to their behavior in fibroblasts. Together, these data establish the first comprehensive transcriptomic profile of replicative senescence in human astrocytes, offering a resource for understanding brain aging and senescence-associated neurodegeneration.</p","PeriodicalId":519960,"journal":{"name":"bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2026-05-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13142369/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147848355","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Acarbose improves cognitive function in a mouse model of normal aging but not Alzheimer's disease.","authors":"Shannon J Moore, Geoffrey G Murphy","doi":"10.64898/2026.04.28.721469","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.64898/2026.04.28.721469","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Introduction: </strong>Declines in function occur in both normal aging (in the absence of disease) and age-related pathological contexts, like Alzheimers disease (AD). Whether anti-aging interventions (that extend lifespan) also promote cognitive function in aging and AD remains unexplored.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>We assessed the effect of acarbose (1000 ppm from 4 months of age) on spatial learning and memory using the Morris water maze in young adult (6 mo), mid-aged (12 mo), or aged (24 mo) cohorts of normal aging (Ntg-HET3) and AD-relevant (5xFAD-HET3) genetically heterogeneous mice.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>In mid-aged and aged Ntg-HET3 mice, acarbose treatment resulted in performance equivalent to young adults. Conversely, acarbose failed to ameliorate age-related deficits in 5xFAD-HET3 mice.</p><p><strong>Discussion: </strong>This work demonstrates that anti-aging interventions can also promote cognitive longevity in normal aging. Further, it reinforces that AD is not simply accelerated aging and requires therapies beyond anti-aging interventions that target its unique molecular and cellular drivers.</p>","PeriodicalId":519960,"journal":{"name":"bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2026-05-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13142531/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147848680","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Fangfang Lu, Hongtu Zhao, Yaxin Dai, Chia-Hsueh Lee, Matthew Freeman
{"title":"A sterol-binding pocket in iRhom1 underlies paralog-specific regulation of the sheddase ADAM17.","authors":"Fangfang Lu, Hongtu Zhao, Yaxin Dai, Chia-Hsueh Lee, Matthew Freeman","doi":"10.64898/2026.04.28.721421","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.64898/2026.04.28.721421","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>ADAM17, the major sheddase in mammalian cells, releases membrane-tethered EGFR ligands and inflammatory cytokines, and is a central regulator of cell signalling. The rhomboid pseudoproteases, iRhom1 and iRhom2, function as essential cofactors of ADAM17, controlling its maturation and activation. In contrast to the well-characterized iRhom2, the mechanism and regulation of its ubiquitously expressed paralog iRhom1 remain undefined. Here, we present a 2.5 angstrom cryo-EM structure of the full-length human iRhom1/ADAM17 complex, revealing a previously unrecognized sterol-binding pocket located between TMD2 and TMD5. Structure-guided mutagenesis and pharmacological perturbation of sterol binding demonstrate that sterol binding is required to stabilize the iRhom1/ADAM17 complex and sustain its shedding activity. Strikingly, this regulation is paralog-specific: iRhom2 precludes sterol binding and instead stabilizes ADAM17 through direct intramolecular interactions. Furthermore, two human iRhom1 variants associated with cardiac disease localize adjacent to the sterol-binding pocket and disrupt ADAM17 maturation and activity. Together, these findings uncover mechanistic divergence between iRhom paralogs and establish a sterol-binding pocket in iRhom1 as a critical determinant of ADAM17 stability, revealing a potential avenue for paralog-selective therapeutic targeting.</p>","PeriodicalId":519960,"journal":{"name":"bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2026-05-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13142363/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147848686","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Juliann Tyler, Anjali Amrapali Vishwanath, Triveni Menon, Tanishqua Duarah, Raghabendra Adhikari, John N Koberstein, Daniel Feliciano, Isabel Espinosa-Medina, Daniel Colon-Ramos, Alison G Tebo
{"title":"Improved sensors for fructose-1,6-bisphosphate enable in vivo imaging of glycolysis.","authors":"Juliann Tyler, Anjali Amrapali Vishwanath, Triveni Menon, Tanishqua Duarah, Raghabendra Adhikari, John N Koberstein, Daniel Feliciano, Isabel Espinosa-Medina, Daniel Colon-Ramos, Alison G Tebo","doi":"10.64898/2026.04.29.721630","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.64898/2026.04.29.721630","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Fructose-1,6-bisphosphate (FBP) is the product of the first committed step of glycolysis, and its concentration is tightly correlated with glycolytic flux. Glycolytic activity varies across tissues and cell types: some tissues, such as the brain, dynamically regulate glycolysis in response to demand, while others, such as the liver have characterized spatial heterogeneity. Here, we report HYlight2, an improved sensor for FBP developed through random whole-gene mutagenesis in E. coli lysate. After four rounds of screening, we isolated HYlight2, which retains its binding affinity while displaying a ΔR/R ~9 in vitro, a three-fold improvement in mammalian cells, and a two-fold improvement in detecting glycolytic responses during stimulated neuronal activity. We further demonstrate its use in vivo to detect altered glycolytic activity in C. elegans neurons, zebrafish pancreatic islets, and mouse liver.</p>","PeriodicalId":519960,"journal":{"name":"bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2026-05-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13142542/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147848695","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Kavitha Mukund, Seth David Thompson, Chelsea L Rugel, Kamil K Gebis, Richard Louis Lieber, Jeffrey N Savas, Shankar Subramaniam, Mitra Lavasani
{"title":"Single-cell transcriptional landscape of muscle-derived stem/progenitor cells reveals hallmarks of aging and rejuvenation.","authors":"Kavitha Mukund, Seth David Thompson, Chelsea L Rugel, Kamil K Gebis, Richard Louis Lieber, Jeffrey N Savas, Shankar Subramaniam, Mitra Lavasani","doi":"10.64898/2026.04.28.721405","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.64898/2026.04.28.721405","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Muscle-derived stem/progenitor cells (MDSPCs) are an adult stem cell population with demonstrated regenerative and rejuvenative potential distinct from other muscle progenitor cells. However, their molecular identity and developmental status remain poorly defined. Using single-cell transcriptomics and proteomics, we comprehensively profiled murine MDSPCs across age groups. We show that MDSPCs exist along a transcriptional continuum of maturation-ranging from metabolically active, proliferative early-stage cells to late-stage, lineage-committed myogenic populations. While lacking canonical pluripotency markers, early-stage MDSPCs express gene programs associated with embryonic progenitor identity, suggesting a non-canonical, multipotent-like state. These features distinguish them from both satellite cells and committed myoblasts. Aging reshapes this continuum by reducing stemness-associated signatures while enhancing differentiation programs and oxidative stress. Our identification of distinct MDSPC states provide critical insights into mechanisms that underly tissue regeneration and aging. These findings offer a blueprint for development of future regenerative therapies to combat age-related functional decline.</p>","PeriodicalId":519960,"journal":{"name":"bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2026-05-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13142368/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147848763","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}