GSE175650
Fate restricted stromal fibroblasts and adipocytes demonstrate multi-modal responses to tissue injury
Adult connective tissues rearrange themselves during injury, disease, and aging. This response is widely considered to involve cross-lineage conversion between two differentiated stromal cell types: fibroblasts and adipocytes. Here, we directly explore the potential plasticity of these cells after injury in the skin. Using single-cell transcriptomics we confirm that adipocyte and fibroblast lineages undergo separate differentiation pathways after injury, avoiding cross-lineage conversion. We performed Single-Cell RNA-seq experiments and employed a fibroblast-lineage specific reporter (En1Cre), labeling a sub-population of fibroblasts termed EPFs (Engrailed-lineage positive fibroblasts). Mature adipocytes were tracked using an adiponectin lineage-specific reporter (AdipoqCre). The two lineage-specific transgenic lines were individually crossed to a double-color fluorescent reporter (R26mTmG), thereby marking mature adipocytes and fibrogenic cells with membrane-bound green. Sorted populations were subjected to SCRB-seq analysis. Overall design: Single-cell transcriptomics on mouse stromal cells after injury in the skin