TY - JOUR
T1 - Transcriptomic profile comparison reveals conservation of ionocytes across multiple organs
AU - Pou Casellas, Carla
AU - Pleguezuelos-Manzano, Cayetano
AU - Rookmaaker, Maarten B
AU - Verhaar, Marianne C
AU - Clevers, Hans
N1 - © 2023. The Author(s).
PY - 2023/3/2
Y1 - 2023/3/2
N2 - Single-cell RNA sequencing has recently led to the identification of a flurry of rare, new cell types, such as the CFTR-high ionocytes in the airway epithelium. Ionocytes appear to be specifically responsible for fluid osmolarity and pH regulation. Similar cells exist in multiple other organs and have received various names, including intercalated cell in the kidney, mitochondria-rich cell in the inner ear, clear cell in the epididymis, and ionocyte in the salivary gland. Here, we compare the previously published transcriptomic profile of cells expressing FOXI1, the signature transcription factor expressed in airway ionocytes. Such FOXI1+ cells were found in datasets representing human and/or murine kidney, airway, epididymis, thymus, skin, inner ear, salivary gland, and prostate. This allowed us to assess the similarities between these cells and identify the core transcriptomic signature of this ionocyte 'family'. Our results demonstrate that, across all these organs, ionocytes maintain the expression of a characteristic set of genes, including FOXI1, KRT7, and ATP6V1B1. We conclude that the ionocyte signature defines a class of closely related cell types across multiple mammalian organs.
AB - Single-cell RNA sequencing has recently led to the identification of a flurry of rare, new cell types, such as the CFTR-high ionocytes in the airway epithelium. Ionocytes appear to be specifically responsible for fluid osmolarity and pH regulation. Similar cells exist in multiple other organs and have received various names, including intercalated cell in the kidney, mitochondria-rich cell in the inner ear, clear cell in the epididymis, and ionocyte in the salivary gland. Here, we compare the previously published transcriptomic profile of cells expressing FOXI1, the signature transcription factor expressed in airway ionocytes. Such FOXI1+ cells were found in datasets representing human and/or murine kidney, airway, epididymis, thymus, skin, inner ear, salivary gland, and prostate. This allowed us to assess the similarities between these cells and identify the core transcriptomic signature of this ionocyte 'family'. Our results demonstrate that, across all these organs, ionocytes maintain the expression of a characteristic set of genes, including FOXI1, KRT7, and ATP6V1B1. We conclude that the ionocyte signature defines a class of closely related cell types across multiple mammalian organs.
KW - Animals
KW - Humans
KW - Male
KW - Mice
KW - Ear, Inner
KW - Epididymis
KW - Epithelial Cells
KW - Forkhead Transcription Factors
KW - Gene Expression Profiling
KW - Mammals
KW - Transcriptome
KW - Vacuolar Proton-Translocating ATPases
U2 - 10.1038/s41598-023-30603-1
DO - 10.1038/s41598-023-30603-1
M3 - Article
C2 - 36864051
SN - 2045-2322
VL - 13
SP - 3516
JO - Scientific Reports
JF - Scientific Reports
IS - 1
ER -